Lonely No More
by Hebridean Black
Summary: Blaine had been sure that he and Kurt were meant to be together forever. Unfortunately, he's starting to realize that Kurt may not believe that anymore. When he and Sebastian become friends, Blaine begins to wonder if he believes it anymore either. Story begins after S4E14 'I Do'. SeBlaine is the end game.
1. Chapter 1

Lonely No More

MoonShadow Tribe Prompt: Aftermath

Fandom: Glee

Ship: Seblaine

Summary: Blaine had been sure that he and Kurt were meant to be together forever. Unfortunately, he's starting to realize that Kurt may not believe that anymore. Story begins after S4E14 'I Do'.

~ a few days after Valentine's Day ~

Blaine was a combination of nervous and excitement as he opened his laptop, started up Skype and then waited for an indication that Kurt was online. Kurt had just returned to New York that morning and they had yet to agree on how to deal with what had happened on Valentine's. Kurt still insisted that sleeping together hadn't meant anything and they were just friends, but to Blaine, it had meant everything. He wasn't sure how to bring Kurt around to his way of thinking.

His reverie was broken when the computer indicated that he had an incoming call from Kurt.

"Hey, how was your flight?" Blaine answered the call, trying to contain his excitement at just talking to the love of his life.

"Oh so boring," Kurt replied with airy wave of his hand. "Santana managed to somehow get the seat next to me and kept up an ongoing commentary of everything that she hated about the wedding-that-never-happened."

"Anything good?" Blaine asked. He lay across his bed with his chin propped up on his hands, staring into the computer screen.

Kurt leaned forward as if imparting an important secret. "Would you believe that she and Quinn hooked up?"

"Quinn and Santana? Seriously?" Blaine asked in shock. Well, not the Santana part, but Quinn? "Does that mean Quinn is bi now?"

"Well, according to Santana, it was just a one-time thing. Quinn said that she still prefers men." Kurt went on to tell him all about Santana's version of her night with Quinn and how self-satisfied Santana was with herself. "She thinks she's some super-lesbian now and can convert anyone. I swear, if she starts on me, her perky little ass is going to be sleeping in the hallway."

Blaine didn't comment on Kurt's use of language. There were quite a few changes in Kurt since he'd moved to New York. He seemed freer, more comfortable with himself. In some ways it was refreshing. In others, it made Blaine feel the distance even more.

"Did you have any trouble getting home from the airport?" Blaine asked.

"No, no problem," Kurt answered. He fiddled with something below the screen and didn't quite meet Blaine's eyes, a sign that there was something he wasn't saying.

"You said that last time you kept getting pushed out of the way by everyone else that was trying to catch a cab," Blaine added in clarification. There had been a time when Kurt would tell him anything, but that was before Blaine had admitted to cheating on him. He had hoped that after the past few days together, they were past this.

"Yeah, well, a friend picked us up," Kurt said in an offhand manner, but still not meeting his gaze.

"You can talk about him, you know," Blaine said. "I know we're just friends."

"I just wasn't sure if you'd want to hear about him, you know, after Valentine's," Kurt said, finally looking up.

Blaine felt like a stone weight had settled in his stomach as his fear was confirmed. No matter how much he insisted that he was agreeable with their just being friends, maybe even friends with benefits, he wasn't really. He wanted it all. He wanted to be the only one. But it was his fault that things were the way they were, so he would accept whatever Kurt was willing to give him. He knew that eventually Kurt would come around; he just had to be patient.

"Adam knew how much trouble I had before, so he borrowed a friend's car and was waiting at the curb when I walked out. I was so surprised."

Blaine tuned out the rest of the words as Kurt spent the next several minutes gushing about the guy he was 'sort of dating' in New York. The only thing that Blaine remembered later was that the guy's name was Adam and that Kurt talked about him the way he used to talk about them. It was so disheartening.

"Blaine, are you okay?" Kurt asked. It took a minute for Blaine to clue into the fact that Kurt had addressed him directly.

"Yeah, of course. Just a little tired, I guess. I should probably get to bed. We both have classes tomorrow," Blaine replied.

Kurt agreed and they set up a time to talk later in the week. For the first time, Blaine was thankful when one of their Skype sessions ended. He wasn't sure that he could have kept up his positive attitude much longer while Kurt sang the praises of another man; especially when that man was there and Blaine was stuck in Lima.

Blaine started to close his computer, but decided to check Facebook instead. It wasn't really that late and he didn't have any homework that needed to be done. Blaine got a few laughs at something that Tina had posted and clicked 'Like' on Sam's post about the upcoming Regionals. They weren't going to blow the second chance that Sam had worked so hard to get them.

Blaine was reading an article about gay rights and the progress (or lack of) that had been made when the computer dinged softly and a chat box popped up from Sebastian.

S: "Hey, Killer. Congratulations on making it to Regionals."

Blaine wasn't sure if Sebastian was being facetious or not, but decided to act as if he were being strait (so to speak).

B: "Thanks. Too bad it couldn't have been during an honest competition." Blaine hesitated just a second before sending. He didn't want to sound pompous, but this was Sebastian.

S: "Ouch, that was a direct hit."

Before Blaine could decide on a reply, or even if he wanted to, Sebastian posted again.

S: "Kind of killed my attempt at redemption, didn't it?"

B: "I can't understand why you would do that, any of you. Integrity was always the cornerstone of what the Warblers stood for."

Blaine sometimes wondered if he had gone back when the Warblers had asked, could he have stopped them before it went so far?

S: "That's a heavy conversation for instant messaging."

B: "How about over coffee at the Lima Bean?"

Blaine almost wished he could take it back as soon as he sent it. He hoped Sebastian wouldn't make more out of it than he intended.

S: "Name the time and I'm all yours ;)"

Blaine rolled his eyes. Sebastian would always try to make more of it.

B: "Tomorrow, 5pm?"

S: "See you there."

Blaine closed the chat box and then shut down the computer. By the time he'd finished getting ready for bed, he'd pushed the short conversation with Sebastian out of his mind and was brooding over Kurt again. He just couldn't seem to focus on anything else for any length of time. Even his dreams that night were full of him chasing after Kurt while Kurt walked away on the arm of another man. He couldn't ever seem to catch up and fell further and further behind as Kurt walked on, oblivious to Blaine's efforts.

"I'm surprised you actually showed," Blaine said as he joined Sebastian at a corner table in the Lima Bean.

"I'm surprised you suggested it," Sebastian answered. "I thought I'd be persona-non-grata after the Sectionals debacle."

"You said you'd explain about that," Blaine reminded him.

"No, I said that it was too heavy a conversation for instant messaging," Sebastian corrected.

"But you will explain," Blaine insisted.

Sebastian sighed heavily and took a sip of his drink. "This would be easier if this was a little stronger than just coffee."

"Sebastian," Blaine said in warning, "just answer the question. Why risk ruining the Warblers' reputation by doing something like this? Was winning a trophy really that important?"

"Says the guy who won last year's Nationals and dressed up like a super-hero to take said trophy back after it was, uh, appropriated," Sebastian said. He smiled slyly. "You looked hot in those tights, by the way."

Blaine sighed. "If you're not going to answer the question, then I might as well go."

When Blaine started to stand, Sebastian waved him back down. "Fine, for a fellow Warbler, I'll give it a shot."

Blaine took a sip of his coffee while he waited for Sebastian to begin his explanation.

"One thing you have to remember is that I've never seen the Warblers quite the way you obviously do. When I got here last year, they were barely even functioning as a group. It didn't take much convincing at all to get them to follow my lead, misguided as that was at the time."

"You mean the slushy incident," Blaine said. He remembered that all too well. He also remembered how betrayed he'd felt by those he'd thought of as friends. He realized that they'd been after Kurt not him, but Kurt had been a Warbler too.

"It helped that they felt you had betrayed them," Sebastian said. "I wasn't above using that to my advantage."

"I betrayed them? How could they believe that?" Blaine asked, astonished. That thought had never occurred to him before.

"You were theirs first and you abandoned them for a guy you'd only known a few months. Not only that, when you left, you joined the competition. That really rankled."

Blaine wanted to protest, but he could see how the Warblers may have felt that way. It put last year in a slightly different perspective. "So they went along with your idea to throw a slushy at Kurt because he was the reason I left."

"That was their reason. Mine was a little more personal," Sebastian replied with a shrug. Blaine didn't need to ask what Sebastian's reason was. Sebastian had wanted Blaine and he didn't like to lose.

"Anyway, I'm not proud of what happened last year. I was a jerk and you deserved better," Sebastian continued. It was said in a rather offhand way, but Blaine could see that Sebastian meant it. He just wasn't used to apologies.

Blaine nodded. "When I came looking for the trophy, you said you were trying to change. How is taking performance enhancing drugs a change for the better? And how did Hunter convince all the Warblers to go along with something like that?"

"Not all the Warblers," Sebastian said, "but you knew that already. As for Hunter, he can be very persuasive when he wants something and he really wanted that Nationals trophy."

"But steroids? It's not the Warbler way," Blaine said.

Sebastian paused to take a sip of coffee that was growing cold. "I think, more than anything, they wanted to prove they could do this without you. Especially after you refused to come back."

Blaine looked away. He'd been afraid that his failure to return might have had something to do with the Warblers decline. "If I'd come back when you asked, do you think it would have been different?"

Sebastian reached over and covered Blaine's hand with his own. "Don't do that to yourself. Hunter had his own agenda from the beginning. If you'd come back and you hadn't agreed with his methods, he probably would have just done it behind your back."

"That didn't help Trent," Blaine said. He still felt like he'd let his former team down.

"Blaine, look at me," Sebastian insisted. He waited until Blaine's gaze met his before continuing. "You are not responsible. We screwed up, but it was our screw up. Don't take that on yourself."

"You really are trying to change," Blaine said. It was kind of amazing.

"Not everything," Sebastian replied with a smirk and a wink. "Now that Hummel is out of the picture, any time you want to take me up on my previous offer, just let me know."

Blaine couldn't help but laugh. It was just so… Sebastian. "Yeah, well, Kurt and I are trying to work things out." He felt that stone in his stomach again though. He was trying work things out. He wasn't so sure about Kurt.

"Oh? How's that going for you?" Sebastian asked. He was back to his relaxed, slightly sarcastic self. For some reason, it didn't bother Blaine as much as it used to. Maybe Sebastian was growing on him.

"It's difficult, the distance, you know," Blaine said. He realized that he was sidestepping, but he was too embarrassed to admit what was really going on.

"Let me guess, he says he's forgiven you for cheating, but he doesn't quite trust you yet," Sebastian said.

Blaine squirmed a bit in his chair. That was a little too close for comfort. "You heard about that."

"It was quite a hot topic at the time. As was a certain couple's duet at the reception for the wedding-that-wasn't last week."

Blaine's face began to burn. "You seem to know a lot about what goes on at McKinley."

"McKinley is a cesspool of gossip," Sebastian replied with an offhand gesture. "At least Dalton boys keep their dirty laundry in-house."

"That just makes a scandal that much worse," Blaine said. He knew well what Dalton was really like. Put on a pretty face for the world when underneath, it was just like any other high school. It had been his safe haven when he'd needed one though, and he'd always have a certain amount of loyalty to it.

Sebastian shrugged. "It's done. Nothing is going to change it now." He smiled slowly. "You know, I am quite put out that you didn't call me."

"Call you?" Blaine asked, not sure what Sebastian was talking about.

"When you decided to 'fall from grace', so to speak. I thought I'd made it clear that I was more than ready to oblige," Sebastian said. His smirk was back in full force.

"It wasn't like that," Blaine said, looking down at the table top.

"What was it like, then?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine could see what Sebastian was trying to do. He'd been made to bare his soul and now he wanted Blaine to even the score. "I was lonely. Kurt was gone. I didn't really plan it. It just kind of… happened."

"Okay, that makes a good party line, but this is me you're talking to. What really happened?" Sebastian leaned forward intently. Blaine could see that he wasn't going to just let this go.

"Kurt was moving on, or at least, that's what it felt like. He didn't answer my calls half the time. He skipped our Skype dates. When we did talk, it was all about how great New York was. It was like… I didn't matter anymore. I felt so... empty. That night… I just wanted to feel something again."

"And if you didn't matter, then it wouldn't matter that you cheated," Sebastian added.

Blaine nodded. He couldn't believe that Sebastian, of all people, actually got it. Sam had tried, but Blaine could tell he didn't. Tina just ranted about how terrible Kurt treated him and how Blaine needed to get over him and move on. "But as soon as it was over, I realized how wrong I was. It did matter. It mattered a lot."

"So, how did gay-face find out?" Sebastian asked.

"His name is Kurt," Blaine protested. "And I flew to New York. I had to tell him in person."

"Wow. That's taking nobility a little far," Sebastian said in a slightly awed tone. "Most people would just keep their mouth shut and hope for the best."

Blaine wasn't sure if he'd just been insulted or praised. "Sometimes I wonder if I should have done just that. We'd still be together now if I had."

"I thought you were working things out," Sebastian said with a raised brow.

Blaine played with his coffee cup. Despite his flirting and sarcasm, Sebastian was actually a good listener and it would be nice to tell someone what was really going on. Neither Tina nor Sam understood. "I went to see him at Christmas and we agreed that we missed being friends. I wanted more, but… I was just relieved that he was talking to me at all. I understand that he needs time to learn that he can trust me again."

Blaine paused, wondering if he should go on.

"So what happened when he was here for the wedding-that-wasn't?" Sebastian asked. "Not quite the reconciliation that you were hoping for?"

Blaine shrugged, still not looking up. "We were making out in the car before the wedding. Kurt kept insisting that it didn't change anything. We were still just friends."

"And you agreed because at that point, you were willing to take whatever crumbs he was willing to give you," Sebastian said.

"You make it sound so… pathetic," Blaine said. He felt rather pathetic actually.

"You sound like someone who is desperate to have the man he loves, love him back," Sebastian said, for once without any sarcasm.

Blaine finally looked up. "We slept together after the reception. I thought, at first, that things would go back to the way they were before, but…"

"He just wants to be friends, with benefits," Sebastian finished for him.

"And he's seeing someone else, in New York," Blaine finished, nailing the lid on the coffin. "They aren't serious, yet, but how am I supposed to compete when they're both there and I'm here?"

"Wow, Hummel's got a boy-toy in New York and stringing his ex along back in Ohio. I didn't think he had it in him," Sebastian said, sarcasm back in full force.

"It's not like that," Blaine objected.

"Are you defending him or yourself?" Sebastian asked.

"Kurt wouldn't do that," Blaine objected. "And I agreed to it, so…"

"Doesn't mean you have to like it," Sebastian said, "and no matter how you slice it, that's exactly what Hummel's doing, whether you want to admit it or not. He's got all the power in your relationship. He knows you'll do whatever he wants, including let him see and do whoever he wants, just so long as he throws you a bone occasionally."

"You're wrong," Blaine said. He resented anyone suggesting that Kurt could be so cold and calculating. "Kurt and I were meant to be together. I screwed that up, but I will get him back. I just have to give him some time." Blaine stood to leave. His coffee was gone and he'd had enough of this conversation.

"Let me ask you one more thing before you go," Sebastian said.

Blaine knew he shouldn't encourage Sebastian, but he nodded anyway. It would have been rude to just walk away at that point.

"Does this 'relationship' you have with Hummel go both ways? Are you allowed to date someone else? Or is that just his prerogative?"

"I'm trying to prove that I can be faithful to him. Dating someone else would be counter-productive," Blaine said. "And if that was an attempt to ask me out, forget it. Even if I were to go out with someone else, it wouldn't be you. Kurt would never forgive me for that."

"I guess what they say is true, love really is blind."

Blaine started to retort, but then thought better of it and turned to walk away. Sebastian's words had unsettled him. They echoed fears that he'd been trying to suppress for days now. Was Blaine seeing something there that just didn't exist anymore? Was he blind?

Blaine wanted to hate Sebastian for forcing him to face all his fears, but he couldn't. The truth was the truth, regardless of who might have pointed it out. Blaine had no idea what to do with his fears and doubts though. He couldn't confront Kurt. If he were wrong, that could be the straw that broke the camel's back and they'd never get back together. If he were right, though…

He wasn't really sure that he wanted to know if he was right.


	2. Chapter 2

The time seemed to drag by as Blaine waited for his bi-weekly Skype call from Kurt. He'd spent the last several days trying to stay busy so that he didn't have time to dwell on his doubts about their relationship. He kept reminding himself that the fact that Kurt wanted to friend-zone him was his own fault, but they were making progress. He just needed to give Kurt a little more time and he was bound to come around. They loved each other and, as the saying went, love concurred all.

Blaine eagerly answered the Skype call as soon as it came through. "Hey, Kurt."

Kurt's response was harried and abrupt. "Blaine, hey. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to talk long tonight. In fact, I should already be heading out the door."

"Oh, that's okay," Blaine replied, though his heart sank a bit. "Something going on at NYADA?"

"No, there's this play that I've been wanting to see and Adam got us a couple of tickets, but tonight was the only night he could get them for," Kurt rambled on as he put the finishing touches on his ensemble while looking in a mirror off camera. He finally seemed satisfied and turned back to the screen. "How do I look?"

"You always look good," Blaine said, forcing a smile to his lips. "I won't keep you then. Have a good time."

"Thanks for understanding," Kurt replied. He had that excited glow about him that he used to get when he and Blaine had something special planned. "I promise I'll make it up to you. Friday, same time?"

"Yeah, that fine." Blaine started to say more, but Kurt was already signing off. "I'll talk to you then," Blaine said sadly to the blank screen.

Blaine sighed as he closed the laptop. He'd been invited to Sam's for a video game challenge, but had declined so that he could talk to Kurt. Now Kurt had bailed on him and it was too late to go to Sam's. His homework was already done. He could work on the new routine for Regionals, but he just didn't have the heart for it. He was beginning to feel the way he had just before he had cheated on Kurt; lonely, lost and like nothing he did really mattered.

Maybe Sebastian was right. Maybe Kurt liked the ways things were and he wasn't really interested in getting back together. Maybe Blaine was seeing hope where none existed. Maybe this Adam guy meant a lot more to Kurt than he was willing to admit to his ex.

Blaine wondered what it would be like to live the way Sebastian did; just move from one guy to the next without letting any of them touch his heart. No attachments, no guilt, no fear of screwing up because no one would have any expectations of him. There was a certain appeal to the idea, but Blaine wasn't sure he could do it. He liked the idea of having someone special, someone who wanted just him, someone he could depend on to always be there. Sebastian would never know just how special that was and Blaine felt a little sorry for him. Blaine might not have that anymore, but he wanted it back.

Maybe it was time to accept that it wasn't going to be with Kurt though.

Blaine shook his head and pushed that thought away. It was just one Skype date cut short, not the end of the world. He wasn't going to give up on Kurt so easily. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

Blaine had never felt more disconnected from his friends. Everyone on the bus was celebrating their win at Regionals, but all he managed was a weak smile when someone addressed him directly. He'd chosen the seat in the very front, hoping that the others would just ignore him.

"Blaine-Blaine, why aren't you celebrating?" Tina asked as she flopped into the seat beside him.

At the moment, Sam was leading them in some crazy country song. No one else seemed to know the words, but they'd all learned the chorus.

"It's nothing. You should be celebrating with the others," Blaine replied. He gave Tina his best reassuring smile, but she wasn't buying it.

"It's Kurt, isn't it? I saw Santana's post about him and that Adam guy. She's probably exaggerating," Tina said.

"Don't worry about it," Blaine said. His phone chimed and he tried to surreptitiously check it. He'd sent Sebastian a text, letting him know that they'd won Regionals, and was sure that the incoming message was from him. The last thing he wanted was for someone in New Directions to blow his casual friendship (or whatever it was) with Sebastian out of proportion. "Like Kurt told you when he was here, we're just friends. He can date whoever he wants."

Tina craned her neck to try to read the display when she thought Blaine wasn't looking.

Sebastian: 'Like there was any doubt with you leading them.'

Blaine smiled slightly. Sebastian's confidence was something he wished he had. Maybe without the cockiness that came with it though.

"Someone congratulating you?" Tina guessed. "Is it Kurt?"

"No, it's just one of the Warblers," Blaine said. It wasn't a lie, but it was better to let them think it was Trent or one of the others than Sebastian. Hunter might be the one that instigating the cheating at Sectionals, but Tina wouldn't have forgotten what Sebastian did the year before, even if she and Blaine hadn't really been friends then.

"Oh, I didn't know you were still talking to them," Tina said in confusion.

"Just because they messed up doesn't mean they aren't still my friends," Blaine said. How hypocritical would that be considering what he'd done to Kurt?

"So how are things going between you and Kurt?" Tina asked. Jake and Marley had started singing something slow and romantic while Ryder tried to mask his longing looks at Marley. Blaine might be oblivious when it came to his own relationships, but he did notice what was going on with others.

"We're friends, Tina," Blaine said. He wasn't sure how many times she had to hear it before she believed it. Probably one less time than Blaine needed to remind himself. "There isn't anything else to say."

"You know what they say about the rebound guy. It never works out," Tina said. Blaine knew she was trying to be helpful, but it really wasn't.

"I want Kurt to be happy," Blaine said. "If this Adam guy does it for him, then I'm happy for him." Secretly, he hoped that Adam would get deported back to wherever he came from.

Blaine typed a message in reply to Sebastian, hoping Tina would get the hint and return to the celebration. 'Too bad you didn't have that sort of faith in yourself. I might be congratulating you right now instead.' He hit send. Blaine had always been too concerned about others feelings to say some of the things that went through his mind, but not with Sebastian. Sebastian never became offended and it had become an entertaining game of one-upmanship.

Tina leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "What do you think about Finn kissing Ms. Pillsbury? I've never seen Mr. Schue so angry before and Finn…"

Blaine blinked a couple of times and forgot his phone messages for a moment. "Did I miss something? When did this happen?"

"Before the wedding-that-wasn't," Tina said softly. "Sam overheard them arguing just before we went out on stage. Finn must have just blurted it out – you know how he is – and Mr. Schue lost it. He blamed Finn for Ms. Pillsbury running off, but Finn said one little kiss wouldn't have done that."

Blaine had noticed the tension between the two, but he'd just assumed that it was because they had a difference of opinion on the set list. He hoped Finn was okay and looked around, but Finn wasn't on the bus.

"Did Finn ride back with someone else?" Blaine asked.

"Must have," Tina said. "I didn't see him when our set was finished."

"Would you see if Sam knows what happened to Finn?" Blaine asked. If he'd known this was going on, he would have looked for Finn before they left. He and Finn hadn't always been on the best of terms, but they'd kind of bonded after their mutual break-ups earlier in the year. He'd expected Finn to hate him for cheating on Kurt, but Finn had been surprising cool about the whole thing.

Tina disappeared towards the back of the bus and Blaine sent a quick text to Finn asking if he was okay. He didn't know if he'd get a response or not, but it was worth a shot. He debating sending Kurt a text, but decided against it. There wasn't anything Kurt could do from New York and considering how many times Kurt had blown off their conversations over the past two weeks, Blaine wasn't inclined to initiate one. Someone else would probably tell him anyway. News traveled fast among the Glee club members, both new and old.

"Hey, Tina said you wanted to see me," Sam said as he leaned over the back of Blaine's seat. Everyone else was still in the back half of the bus celebrating.

Blaine asked about Finn and was told that he'd gotten a ride back with someone he knew. Sam didn't know any more details that what Tina had already told him though.

Blaine's phone chimed and, thinking it was Finn, he checked it without thinking.

'Maybe I should transfer to McKinley. We could show them what a power duet really looks like.' Sebastian.

Blaine almost laughed at the image that provoked, but was belatedly reminded that Sam was just behind him.

"Isn't that the guy that slushed you last year?" Sam asked.

Blaine was saved from answering when the phone chimed again, this time it was Finn saying he was okay and they could talk later.

"At least Finn's okay," Blaine said. "I still can't picture him kissing Ms. Pillsbury though." He hoped that Sam would forget the previous text.

"It had to be one of those, you know, spur of the moment type things," Sam said. "Not that she isn't kind of hot for a teacher-type."

"I'll trust your judgment on that," Blaine said. He turned off the display on his phone and put it down.

"So what's going on with you and Slushy-Warbler?" Sam asked.

Blaine winced. He should have known that Sam wouldn't forget what he'd seen. At least Sam could keep a secret, unlike Tina.

"I sent him a text letting him know we'd won Regionals," Blaine said. "He can't let an opportunity pass without turning into a come-on of some sort."

"Like we'd ever let him into New Directions," Sam scoffed. "Be careful around that one. We don't want you to miss Nationals because he decided to get revenge for us exposing the Warblers."

Blaine didn't bother to try to convince Sam that Sebastian wouldn't do anything like that. "I'd worry more about Hunter. The rest of the Warblers are ashamed of what they did. He's the only one that blames us."

"How's that Trent Warbler doing? Are they harassing him any?" Sam asked.

"No, Nick and Jeff thanked him for bringing them to their senses," Blaine said with a smile. Not all the Warblers were happy with Trent, but enough of them realized that he was right to give Blaine hope that his friends at Dalton would be okay.

Sam seemed satisfied with the answers and didn't push. "Come on, I've got a song for us to sing that has your name all over it."

"I'll be there in just a minute," Blaine promised. As soon as Sam returned to the others, Blaine quickly answered Sebastian's text and then slid the phone into his pocket.

"Why didn't you tell me that Finn kissed Ms. Pillsbury?" Kurt exclaimed as soon as Blaine answered the Skype call. "I had to hear about it from Santana who heard about it from Quinn. Although, apparently Rachel knew all along and didn't tell anyone. I didn't know she could keep a secret that well."

Blaine listened with slight exasperation as Kurt rattled on. He hadn't really expected Kurt to keep their Skype date tonight and had made plans to meet Sebastian in half-an-hour for a movie that they were both dying to see.

"So, how is Finn doing, really?" Kurt asked. "All he says when I talk to him is 'I'm fine.' in that tone that I know means he's anything but."

"He's still helping out with the Glee club," Blaine replied once Kurt paused in his rant. "He and Mr. Schue don't talk to each other and the Glee club is starting to take sides – they're calling themselves Team-Schue or Team-Finn. We had a knock-down drag-out songfest last week over it."

Blaine checked his watch. He had about five minutes before he needed to leave and texted Sebastian that he might be a few minutes late.

"Are you texting someone?" Kurt asked, sounding just a little offended.

"I'm going to a movie and didn't want them to worry if I was a few minutes late," Blaine explained.

"You planned to go to a movie when we have a Skype date?" Kurt asked, sounding hurt this time.

Blaine thought carefully about how to remind Kurt that he'd skipped out on the last several without making Kurt angry. He finally decided that a little blunt truth might be what Kurt needed. "You've missed the last three Skype dates and cut the others short so that you could go out with Adam. I didn't actually think I'd be hearing from you tonight."

Kurt immediately became defensive. "Excuse me for having a life that doesn't involve you, Blaine."

"Tell me, honestly, would you have called tonight if you hadn't wanted to ask about Finn?" Blaine asked.

"Of course I would. That had nothing to do with it," Kurt said. He didn't quite meet Blaine's eyes. "But don't let me keep you from your movie date."

"Thanks, I don't want to keep anyone waiting," Blaine said. He realized belated that it sounded like a dig at Kurt, but he didn't bother to apologize.

"Wait," Kurt called as Blaine started to disconnect the call. "Is it a date?"

Blaine thought Kurt sounded slightly worried. Maybe a taste of his own medicine would bring Kurt around.

"Does it matter?" Blaine asked. "You keep reminding me that we're just friends."

Kurt sucked in a surprised breath at Blaine's directness. "I guess you're right. It doesn't matter." He disconnected the call without waiting for an answer from Blaine.

"Trouble in paradise?" Sebastian as they waited in the concessions line.

Blaine blew out an aggravated breath and shrugged. "Kurt actually kept our Skype date tonight, but all he wanted to talk about was what happened with Finn and Ms. Pillsbury." Apparently Sebastian's sources at McKinley were very thorough and he'd known about the kiss by the time Blaine had gotten off the bus after Regionals. "He acted surprised when I told him I had plans and then hung up on me when I reminded him that we were just friends."

"Glad to see to you finally got your balls back from Hummel." Sebastian said.

Blaine was used to Sebastian's left-handed comments by now and just shook his head. "I just want him to realize how what he's doing makes me feel."

"I'm guessing you didn't tell him who you were meeting. I didn't see any mushroom clouds in the east earlier."

"It's none of his business," Blaine said. "Besides, it's not like we're dating. We just wanted to see the same movie and decided to go together."

Sebastian leaned forward and spoke softly into Blaine's ear. "Doesn't mean I won't still try to get in your pants. It doesn't matter to me if you have unresolved issues with your ex when you finally capitulate."

Blaine chuckled, even though he was slightly embarrassed by Sebastian's forthrightness. "What makes you think I want to sleep with you?"

Sebastian spread his arms wide. "Who wouldn't want a piece of this?"

"In your dreams, Casanova," Blaine said with a grin.

"Oh, if only you knew. Want me to share a few of my dreams with you?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine could feel his face heating up and looked away to regain his composure. He sucked in a surprised breath when he saw Sam and Brittany just walking into the theater. He automatically shifted position so that Sebastian was between him and the door. Of course, Sebastian had to turn to see what had gotten Blaine's attention.

"Busted," Sebastian said softly.

"Sebastian," Blaine said in warning. He wasn't sure what he thought Sebastian would do to stop Sam from seeing them together. He briefly thought about moving down the line a few spaces, but decided it would be better to just tough it out. How bad could it be?

"Blaine Warbler!" Brittany squealed in delight on seeing him. She ignored those standing in line and pounced on him, giving him a hug. Blaine couldn't ever remember Brittany giving him a hug before, but it didn't exactly surprise him.

"Hey, Brittany. Sam," Blaine greeted his friends from Glee.

Sebastian watched the interaction with slight amusement until Brittany snaked her arm through his and gave him a contemplative look. "Did you molt? Birds do that sometimes when they don't like their feathers."

If Blaine hadn't been so worried about what Sam was going to say, he would have laughed at Sebastian's expression of open-mouth confusion. He supposed Sebastian did look a bit different out of his Dalton uniform.

Sam gave Blaine a questioning look. "You're here together?"

"It's just a movie, Sam," Blaine said, trying hard to act as if it were nothing. "It's not a big deal."

Sam nodded, but didn't seem convinced. He motioned for Blaine to step away from where Brittany was chatting away with a bemused Sebastian. "Does Kurt know?" he asked with a nod towards Sebastian.

"It's not a date," Blaine insisted. "We're just seeing the same movie at the same time."

"And sitting together?" Sam asked. "Sounds like a date."

"If it was anyone else, you wouldn't even question it, would you?" Blaine asked.

"It's not anyone else, though," Sam said. "I can't say I know Kurt all that well, but even I know he hates that guy. I thought you were trying to work things out."

"I am, we are," Blaine said in frustration. Why did things have to be so complicated? "Are you going to say anything to him?"

"Kurt and I don't exactly run in the same circles," Sam with a shrug. "Brittany is best-friends with Kurt's roommate though."

Brittany might say something, or might not. He doubted that she attached any importance to them being here together, but then he never really understood what Brittany was thinking.

"He apologized for everything," Blaine said with a nod at Sebastian. "He's trying to change."

"So, you think he really is malting?" Sam asked with a wry grin.

Blaine considered correcting Sam's grammar, but decided to just go with it. "He really is. And we're just friends."

Sam retrieved Brittany with a nod of wary acceptance for Sebastian. He might not be thrilled with the situation, but he accepted Blaine's assessment. Blaine didn't think this was going to be the end of it though. He was bound to get an earful later when he and Sam didn't have an audience.


	3. Chapter 3

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Kurt asked. Even on the small laptop screen, Blaine could see that Kurt's were crossed and his chin raised slightly, a sure sign that he was feeling defensive and angry.

"Could you be more specific?" Blaine asked. His non-date with Sebastian had only been last night, but he was fairly sure that Kurt had already heart about it. There wasn't anything else that would get his ex-boyfriend-now-just-friend so worked up.

"I thought we were being honest with each other," Kurt said.

"Still a little vague, Kurt," Blaine said. He was getting so tired of playing these games.

"Brittany said she saw you at the movies last night with Sebastian," Kurt said, spitting the name out like it was something foul.

"We were standing in line together when she and Sam came in," Blaine agreed. He knew better than to think that would be the end of it though.

"You told me you were meeting someone. Was it him?" Kurt asked suspiciously.

"Yes, we both wanted to see the movie and agreed to meet there," Blaine replied evenly.

"Why would you go out with the guy that nearly blinded you last year and then cheated to beat you at Sectionals this year?" Kurt demanded.

"First, we're not 'going out'. Second, if we were dating, how is that any of your business? You've made it clear that we're just friends," Blaine replied, not quite as calmly as before.

"Friends don't let friends date criminals-in-training," Kurt said. "How can you just forget what he did to you?"

"You didn't seem to have any trouble forgiving Karofsky for threatening to kill you," Blaine reminded him. "In fact, I seem to remember you saying you were on friendly terms even before he tried to commit suicide."

"David was going through a difficult time and needed a friend," Kurt said through gritted teeth. "He never meant what he said, he was just confused."

"And Sebastian has apologized and is trying to become a better person," Blaine said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "How is that any different?"

"It just is," Kurt insisted. "And you're a fool if you can't see that."

"I hear that you and Adam are getting pretty serious," Blaine said. It was a deliberate attempt to both change the subject and throw Kurt off-balance. "You said you were going to be honest about how that was going."

Kurt floundered for a moment before recovering. "I didn't want to hurt you by bringing it up," Kurt said softly.

"And I didn't want to upset you by mentioning Sebastian," Blaine replied.

Kurt's jaw tightened and Blaine could see that he had to force himself to relax. "I'd rather have heard it from you than Santana."

"So would I," Blaine said. He never thought the day would come where he and Kurt would have to tip-toe around each other's feelings.

Kurt finally looked slightly repentant, not that he'd ever admit it. "I didn't expect it to be this hard," he finally said. "We used to be able to tell each other anything."

Blaine refrained from stating the obvious; that if they were back together, this wouldn't be an issue. "What do you want to do?"

"I guess we'll just have to work a little harder to make this work," Kurt said.

"Being friends, you mean," Blaine said, but he wondered when they were supposed to do that. The only time Kurt really talked to him was when he wanted something. He kept that thought to himself thought. No sense making things worse than they already were.

"Blaine, please. You know I'm not ready for anything more," Kurt pleaded.

"Then what is Adam?" Blaine asked.

"He's a nice guy and we have fun together," Kurt said, slightly offhand as if it didn't really matter to him. Blaine wondered if that were for his benefit or it that was how Kurt really felt. "It's not like we're planning a wedding."

"Are you sleeping with him?" Blaine asked.

"No," Kurt said emphatically. "Are you sleeping with Sebastian?"

"I'm not dating Sebastian," Blaine replied.

"You weren't dating that guy you cheated on me with either," Kurt replied.

Blaine felt like he'd been slapped in the face and it must have shown.

"I'm sorry," Kurt rushed to say. "That was uncalled for."

Blaine looked away as tears threatened to spill over. How long was Kurt going to use that to beat him up with?

"Maybe we should just talk later," Kurt said. "I don't want to say something else I'm going to regret later."

Blaine nodded. "Sure, that's fine."

As usual, Kurt had to have the last word though. "Blaine, honestly, you aren't dating Sebastian?"

"I'm not dating, or sleeping with, Sebastian," Blaine said.

"Good, that would be just… too much," Kurt closed the connection.

Blaine stared at the screen, not sure if Kurt was just making a comment on how he felt or issuing a warning.

"I'm crushed. You started the party without me."

Blaine looked around with a tired sigh as Sebastian slipped onto the stool beside him. If he'd given any forethought to it, he would have realized that there was a good chance he'd run into Sebastian here. He'd been so upset when Kurt failed to call, again, that he just got in his car and drove. When he'd seen the sign for Scandals, he'd decided to stop and have a drink - or two – and try to forget Kurt and how miserable he was.

"I'm not in the mood, Sebastian," Blaine said, turning back towards the bar. He hunched over the glass of… whatever it was the bartender had put in front of him.

"Let me guess, Gay-face is out with his boy-toy and you decided to drown your sorrows in…" Sebastian picked up Blaine's glass and sniffed at the contents, "something disgustingly sweet."

"It's none of your business," Blaine said, taking his glass away from Sebastian and downing the remainder in one gulp. It really was too sweet.

"Don't mind me," Sebastian said. He called out on order to the bartender and turned to face the dance floor with his elbows on the bar. "I'm just here for the ambiance."

Blaine turned to look at the crowd of sweaty, desperate-looking men on the dance floor. There wasn't a single one that peaked his interest. "Good luck," he said and turned his back on the dancers.

Blaine could feel Sebastian's gaze on him, but refused to acknowledge him any further. Sebastian had an uncanny way of making him face truths that he'd rather ignore tonight. He was hurting enough as it was.

"You know, this is why I've always avoided relationships," Sebastian said, seeming to talk to the air. "Too much drama and angst."

"I'll take the angst over your way," Blaine said without looking up. "You probably don't even remember the name of the last guy you had sex with."

Sebastian turned so that one elbow was on the bar and he was leaning slightly towards Blaine. "I'm all ears. Convince me."

Blaine looked up finally, not sure what Sebastian wanted from him.

"Tell me what's so great about this relationship of yours," Sebastian clarified.

Blaine scoffed and turned back to his empty glass. "All you want is to tell me how wrong I am so you can get in my pants." Normally, he wouldn't have been that crude, but a couple of drinks was all it took to remove the sensor his brain normally had over his mouth.

Sebastian grinned slowly, kind of like Blaine had always pictured the Cheshire Cat. "What if I promise that for just this one night, I'll be a perfect gentleman?"

Blaine looked up in surprise. "You? Do you even know how?"

Sebastian chuckled, not the least bit offended. "'I've had a lot of practice at dating daughters of people my parents are trying to impress."

"You're going to pretend I'm a girl?" For some reason that sounding incredible funny to Blaine.

"It's a stretch, but I'm sure I can manage for one just night," Sebastian replied with a grin.

Blaine had to think back to why they were pretending he was a girl. Oh, right, relationships. "Haven't you ever been in love with someone before?"

"I think I'm in love with that guy over there," Sebastian said, pointing to the dance floor where a guy a couple of years older than them was gyrating to the music. "I can picture him moving like that while I have him pressed up against a wall."

"That's lust, Sebastian, not love," Blaine replied with a snort. He turned to find that his glass was full again and took a sip.

Sebastian shrugged. "So tell me what is so great about love."

Blaine didn't mind talking about love. He loved being in love. "Love is knowing that there is someone special, just for you. When that person walks in the room, everything seems a little brighter. It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket and knowing that you'll never be alone." Blaine paused, fairly sure that he was rambling, but he wanted Sebastian to understand. "Real love is wanting to share everything with that someone special and knowing that they want the same things that you do. It's planning a future together and knowing you'll grow old together someday. It's knowing that no matter what, that person will always love you." Blaine felt the tears burn his eyes.

"You aren't so sure about that last one anymore, are you?" Sebastian said softly. Blaine looked at him and thought he seemed genuinely concerned.

"I cheated," Blaine said. "It's hard to get over something like that."

"For who; you or Hummel?"

Blaine took a long drink, choking slightly when it went down too fast. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Right, you were trying to convince me that love is worth it," Sebastian said. "What you've actually told me it that one mistake and everything falls apart." Sebastian shrugged and shook his head. "I know I'm going to screw up, so why bother?"

"It was a pretty big mistake," Blaine mumbled.

"And if I know you, you've tried everything possible to make up for it short of joining a convent to prove your renewed fidelity."

"Convents are for nuns," Blaine said.

"Well, we are pretending that you're a girl tonight," Sebastian said. "Tell me this, Killer, how long does your penance drag on before you admit that Hummel might have forgiven you, but he'll never forget?"

Blaine had wondered the same thing a little too often himself. "As long as it takes," he said stubbornly.

"And you wonder why I prefer lust over love," Sebastian said. "At least my way is honest."

"Kurt's never lied to me." Blaine jumped to his ex's defense.

"You lie to yourself so well that he doesn't have to."

Blaine turned back to his drink so that Sebastian couldn't see his tears. Sebastian hadn't said anything that Blaine hadn't already told himself. He had just refused to accept it as the truth, but that was getting more difficult every day. He blinked back the tears and then looked up to respond, but Sebastian was walking towards the dance floor. Blaine didn't watch as Sebastian began dancing with the guy he'd pointed out earlier.

Two drinks later, Blaine had sunk even deeper into his brooding. The activity in the bar was picking up and he'd had to turn down several offers from various men. He finally decided that he'd had enough – both of men he wasn't interested in and in drinking. He slid off the bar stool and nearly fell as all the alcohol he'd drunk rushed to his head. He grabbed the bar to steady himself and belatedly realized that he was in no condition to walk to the door, let alone drive home.

"I got you," Sebastian said in Blaine's ear. He wrapped one arm around Blaine and helped steady him as they made their way across the floor. "This is the gentlemanly thing to do, by the way. Not a pass."

It took a minute for Blaine to figure out what Sebastian was talking about. "Very gentlemanly," he agreed. "I don't think I can drive home," he added as the bar door swung shut behind them. The cold night air helped clear the fog in his brain a little, but not that much.

"Glad you're smart enough to realize that," Sebastian said. "I thought I might have to take your keys away from you."

"At least my parents aren't home," Blaine said. "They'd freak if they saw me like this." He was fairly sure if Sebastian let go of him, he'd land face first in the dirt and would have to spend the night there. At least he wasn't interested in making out with Sebastian. That was a step up from the last two times he'd had too much to drink.

"I'll drive you home," Sebastian said. "We can come back for your car tomorrow."

Blaine slumped into the passenger seat when Sebastian opened the door. He barely noticed the seatbelt that Sebastian put around him. "The trees are spinning… or maybe it's the car."

"You throw up in my car and I'll have second thoughts about this whole gentleman routine," Sebastian warned.

Blaine hummed a sort of acknowledgement. He didn't feel sick, just rather light headed. He should have known that drinking never turned out well for him. It hadn't even helped him forget why he'd started drinking to begin with.

Blaine didn't even bother trying to unlock his front door. He gave Sebastian the key and the code to disarm the alarm. Getting up the stairs was a trial, but Sebastian stuck with him without complaining. As soon as Blaine reached his room, he staggered to the bed and fell on it in relief.

"You know, this was not how I pictured getting you into bed the first time would go," Sebastian said as he pulled Blaine's shoes off.

Blaine rolled over onto his back and forced his head up far enough to see Sebastian. "Sorry I've been so much trouble."

"Not as sorry as you'll be in the morning when you're hung-over," Sebastian replied. He picked up one of the photos of Blaine and Kurt that stood on the bedside table. "Some shrine you have going here."

The photos normally brought Blaine comfort and gave him hope, but not tonight. Right now, he didn't even want to look at them.

"Put it away," Blaine said. When Sebastian just gave him a questioning look, Blaine pulled out the drawer and began dumping the photos haphazardly inside. Sebastian placed the one he was holding in the drawer without comment and Blaine slammed it shut.

"I take it that things aren't going too well with the campaign to get back in your ex's good graces," Sebastian said.

Blaine laughed shortly. "I might as well not exist."

Sebastian lowered himself to the floor beside the bed so that their heads were on the same level. "His loss."

"Yeah, right," Blaine answered morosely. "He's got Adam, the handsome, college senior with the killer accent. I'm just a dumb high school senior stuck in Lima." He learned more about Kurt's life from Santana than he did Kurt anymore.

"Don't sell yourself short, Anderson," Sebastian said.

"Whatever," Blaine rolled over so that his back was to Sebastian. He could hear Sebastian moving around behind him and hoped that meant he was leaving. Blaine just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything for a while.

"Move over," Sebastian said.

Blaine looked over his shoulder when the bed dipped behind him.

"I'm not sleeping on the floor," Sebastian said. "And we still need to get your car tomorrow."

Blaine huffed a bit, but scooted forward to make room. They were both fully dressed on top of the blankets, so he wasn't worried about anything happening. "You just want to tell everyone that we slept together."

"A gentleman doesn't not-kiss and lie about it," Sebastian gently reprimanded. "You still have a good 18 hours before I turn back into the big, bad wolf."

Blaine chuckled. "Why do I think your bark is worst then your bite?"

"We can test that theory in 18 hours if you want," Sebastian promised him.

Blaine almost protested when Sebastian curled up against his back, one arm wrapped securely around Blaine's waist. Sebastian didn't do anything more though, so Blaine let it go. It actually felt good to have someone cuddle with him, even if it was Sebastian.

"I never thought you'd be the cuddling type," Blaine said drowsily.

"Go to sleep, Killer," was the only response he got.

Blaine blearily reached for is phone when it chimed, letting him know that he had a text. It took a minute for his vision to clear enough to actually read what it said.

'Sorry about last night. Are you free to Skype now?' Kurt.

"Is that Gay-face's idea of an apology?" Sebastian asked.

"You shouldn't read other people's private messages," Blaine said. He'd forgotten that Sebastian was still here.

"You going to answer?" Sebastian asked, unrepentant. "You still have a few hours of gentleman-Smyth left. I'll promise to stay quiet as a mouse."

Blaine wasn't sure it was really a good idea, but Sebastian had been a perfect gentleman last night and, despite everything, he did want to talk to Kurt.

"Just stay out of the camera's range," Blaine said.

Sebastian looked his most innocent, which only made Blaine roll his eyes.

He sent back a text message to Kurt, 'Give me ten.'

Blaine stumbled into the bathroom and tried to make himself presentable. He didn't have time to change clothes, but there wasn't much that would show on the camera anyway.

"How do I look?" he asked Sebastian when he came into the room.

"Like you just woke up after a night of drinking and carousing," Sebastian answered with a half-grin.

Blaine shook his head, not sure if Sebastian was being honest or just yanking his chain. He wasn't going to get much more presentable in just ten minutes though.

He set the laptop on the desk and made sure that it was facing well away from where Sebastian was lounging on his bed. It took a minute for the laptop to boot up and for him to get Skype open to make the call. Kurt, as usual, was beautifully put together. Blaine rubbed his hand self-consciously over the dark stubble that covered his jaw.

"Did I wake you?" Kurt asked in surprise.

"Uh, yeah, but that's okay," Blaine said. No use denying it considering how he looked.

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be up by now," Kurt said. "It's almost noon."

"Yeah, well, I was up kind of late," Blaine said. His gaze flickered over to Sebastian who silently laughing.

"Oh, you didn't wait up for my call, did you?" Kurt asked in concern.

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Uh, no. I went out," Blaine said. "I'm assuming you were out too."

"Yeah, Rachel insisted on taking Santana to Call Backs and dragged me along," Kurt said. He went on and on about what they'd sung and some story about someone Blaine had never met who had made a fool of himself over some girl. Sebastian was making hand motions that indicated that Kurt talked too much. Blaine didn't really pay attention to what Kurt was saying until he heard Adam's name mentioned.

"Adam was there?" Blaine asked. He wasn't surprised, exactly. It was more that Kurt hadn't mentioned him right off, as if he were trying to hide it.

Kurt stopped mid-story and floundered a bit. He finally drew himself up and tipped his chin up defensively. "Yes, Adam was there. We are dating and it was Friday night."

"I thought we were going to be honest from now on," Blaine said. He looked guiltily at Sebastian even as he said it. It wasn't like he was actually dating Sebastian though and Kurt would never believe that they'd spent the night together and done nothing but slept.

Sebastian looked at the ceiling and shook his head in disbelief.

"Fine, if you want honesty, Adam and I had a great time, both at Call Backs and when we got back here," Kurt said. "And yes, he spent the night and I fixed him breakfast before he left about an hour ago."

The combination of being hung-over and how quickly their conversation degenerated into trying to hurt each other sent Blaine off the deep end. He was on the verge of telling Kurt who he'd spent the night with, when Sebastian knelt beside him (just out of camera range) and shook his head.

'Don't do it,' Sebastian mouthed.

Blaine looked away as tears pricked his eyes. "I don't stand a chance, do I?" Blaine said.

"Blaine, we agreed that we're just friends," Kurt said in his most reasonable tone.

"And you knew I wanted us back together," Blaine replied. "You let me believe that there was a chance, but there really isn't, is there?"

Sebastian gave Blaine a 'well, duh' look.

"Blaine, I don't see how you expect us to… be an us again when nothing has changed. I'm in New York and you're in Ohio. How can I trust that you won't cheat the first time you feel like I'm neglecting you again?" Kurt asked with arms crossed over his chest. "Why can't you accept that we're just friends for now? Maybe when you move to New York after graduation…"

"I can do what? Watch you with someone else?" Blaine asked. "What you really mean is that you want me as second string in case this thing with Adam didn't work out."

Kurt looked both shocked and offended, but recovered quickly. "How can you believe that? I thought you knew me better than that."

"So did I," Blaine answered. "But I'm starting to think that I don't know you at all anymore."

Kurt gaped at him for a moment. "I guess there isn't anything left to say," Kurt said.

"Yeah, I guess not," Blaine agreed. He clicked the disconnect call icon a second after Kurt did.

"I've got to get some of whatever they put in your drink last night," Sebastian said. "That was awesome."

Blaine wasn't sure what to feel. All these weeks of fears and doubts had finally come to a head and, while Blaine would probably later regret the way it had come out, he was relieved to finally have it out in the open.

"There's no way we'll get back together after this, is there?" Blaine asked, rather numbly.

"There wasn't any way you were getting back together before this, except in your dreams," Sebastian told him bluntly.

Blaine drew in a deep, shaky breath. "I need a shower and then we should go get my car."

Sebastian nodded. "Take your time."

Blaine pulled some casual clothes from his dresser and walked to the bedroom door. He paused at the doorway and looked back.

"Why did you stop me from telling Kurt that you'd spent the night?" Blaine asked.

"As much as I would have loved to see Kurt throw an apoplectic fit on my behalf, I don't want to be one of your regrets," Sebastian said.

Blaine nodded without really understanding. Maybe when his head was clearer, he'd get what Sebastian meant.

"So, Killer, do you still believe in love?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine thought about it for just a moment. "You know the old saying, 'It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all'? I still believe that."

Sebastian didn't comment, but he looked thoughtful as Blaine turned to continue on to the bathroom.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, what are you doing for Spring Break?" Sebastian asked as they sipped their coffee at the Lima Bean.

Blaine wondered when meeting Sebastian here after school had changed from an occasional chance encounter to a routine. It was actually rather comforting. "I had planned to go to New York, but now…"

"Winter Storm Hummel still giving you the cold shoulder?" Sebastian asked.

"I haven't heard from Kurt since – well, you were there," Blaine said with a shrug. "I haven't tried to talk to him either, though."

"But you haven't quite given up either," Sebastian suggested.

Blaine sighed heavily. Was he really that easy to read? "Maybe if I get into NYADA, we could try again." Kurt had suggested it and Blaine had shot it down at the time, but maybe they could work things out if they at least in the same city.

"Did someone steal your backbone while I wasn't watching?" Sebastian scoffed. "You made more sense when you were hung-over."

Blaine hung his head with a groan. He knew Sebastian was right, but he just couldn't let it go. What was wrong with him?

"Let's talk about something else," Blaine said. He'd spent enough time brooding over Kurt and their non-relationship. "What are you planning for Spring Break? I heard the Warblers were going to the beach. Sound like a good opportunity to break a few hearts."

"Doesn't it though?" Sebastian answered with a grin, but then he shrugged. "I don't know. My parents are going on a cruise, so I'd have the house all to myself for a whole week. That doesn't happen too often."

"Nothing much to do around here," Blaine said.

"There are still plenty of eligible men I haven't done yet," Sebastian replied. "Once I leave after graduation, I don't plan on coming back. It would be a shame to deprive them of this." He motioned to himself with a cocky grin.

Blaine shook his head with an amused smile. Sebastian would never change. "Where are you thinking of going to college?" Blaine asked.

"As far away from Ohio as possible," Sebastian said. "Maybe some place sunny with lots of hot, tan men just ripe for the picking."

"I thought you'd be heading for an ivy league school," Blaine said.

"Yeah, well, I don't think the Warblers will be going Ivy League any time soon," Sebastian replied dryly. "Not unless their parents are willing to offer a lot bigger… donation than mine."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that," Blaine said. It was a shame that one mistake had cost his friends so much.

"That was my father's dream, not mine," Sebastian said indifferently. "No great loss." He took a sip of his coffee. "I'm guessing that you're New York bound."

Blaine shrugged with a tired sigh. "I applied to CalArts, too. Hopefully, I'll get into one of them."

"What prompted that?" Sebastian asked.

"Cooper practically forced me to fill out the application," Blaine said with a slight laugh. "He said I could stay with him and we could do the brother-bonding thing."

"You aren't interested in going there?"

"Depends on which day you ask," Blaine admitted. "It would be nice to get to know Copper better, but…"

"Kurt is in New York," Sebastian finished.

Blaine shrugged, ashamed of how pathetic he was to pine after a guy that had obviously moved on. "Why can't I let it go?"

"Because you are an incurable romantic," Sebastian said, shaking his head.

"Sometimes I think your way would be a lot easier," Blaine replied. He expected Sebastian to throw out a blatant invitation to take this somewhere more private.

"Easier, sure, but it's not who you are," Sebastian replied. For once, he was surprisingly serious. "Don't let this change you into someone else."

"I knew there was a decent guy in there just trying to find his way out," Blaine said.

"Don't get your hopes up, Anderson," Sebastian said with a grin. "I was born with a heart two sizes too small."

"I don't believe that," Blaine said softly. "You told me that you wanted to be a better person. Letting yourself love someone, even if it is a little scary, is the best it gets."

"And _that_ is why you just can't let it go," Sebastian replied.

Blaine wasn't surprised that Sebastian turned the conversation back around. He never wanted to talk about himself in any real way. "Are you saying that you never, not even once, wanted to take things further than just a one night stand?"

Sebastian swirled his coffee around in his cup without looking up. "Maybe fate is just conspiring against me."

"It's not that difficult, Sebastian. Drop the attitude and try a little romance," Blaine said.

"There isn't a romantic bone in this body," Sebastian answered with a disparaging look. "I'll leave that to you."

"You sell yourself short," Blaine said, shaking his head in exasperation.

Sebastian chuckled slightly. "And you're great at seeing things that aren't there."

Blaine was slightly irritated at the dig. "Don't make it about me when you're too afraid to put yourself out there." He sat back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sebastian raised a brow slightly and took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Be romantic, huh? How exactly do I pull that off?"

"Ask a guy out – on a real date. I know you know how to be a gentleman."

Sebastian mulled that over for a moment. Blaine was a little worried when a devilish gleam lit Sebastian's eye.

"Where should I take you on this date?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine started to answer and then floundered as he realized what Sebastian had said. "Me?"

"It's your idea and you're the only one interested in seeing that I'm rehabilitated," Sebastian said with that sly grin of his. "You and Hummel aren't together anymore, so, why not you?"

Blaine narrowed his eyes as he thought that over. He _had_ suggested it and, coming from Sebastian, it was more like a dare than date. It certainly wasn't a promise to become boyfriends or anything like that. "Well, a traditional date involves picking up your date, meeting the parents – we can skip that part though – dinner, a mutually agreeable activity and maybe coffee with dessert afterwards."

"Or a nightcap at the date's house which leads to a killer make-out session on the sofa and ends up in the date's bed with little or no clothing?"

Blaine's face grew slightly warm. "It's a first date, Sebastian."

"Your point?" Sebastian asked innocently.

"Gentlemen," Blaine emphasized the word, "don't have sex on the first date."

"How many dates does it take?" Sebastian asked, still oozing ingenuousness.

Blaine huffed out a breath and frowned. "There isn't a set number. You just know when it feels right."

"Forget the date then. Feels right to me now," Sebastian said with a wicked grin.

Blaine realized that arguing with Sebastian wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Dinner, dancing, dessert - no sex." Blaine wasn't sure why he said dancing, maybe just because it seemed to flow with the other words.

"Spoiled-sport," Sebastian said without ranker. "How about a good night kiss?"

Blaine smiled slightly. "On the cheek, if you behave yourself."

"Slow-dancing?" Sebastian asked, leaning forward with an amused grin.

"A gentleman keeps the proper distance when dancing," Blaine answered. He was starting to enjoy these negotiations. "At least a hands-breath between bodies."

Sebastian slid his hand across the table and ran one of his long fingers over the back of Blaine's hand. "Holding hands?"

Blaine swallowed around a sudden lump in this throat. "It'd be difficult to dance otherwise."

"And when we aren't dancing?" Sebastian pressed. "Just want to make sure I don't do anything crass," he clarified.

"Holding hands is acceptable," Blaine said. He picked up his cup and took a sip, making sure to leave neither hand on the table. He hadn't expected that thrill from just a touch. Sebastian was started to get into his head.

Sebastian licked his lips slowly. "Any other touching allowed?"

Only Sebastian could make such a simply statement question sound like a seduction.

"As long as it stays above the waist," Blaine said, slightly flustered.

"I'm guessing that you would prefer to keep this date just between us," Sebastian said.

Blaine tried to decide where the catch was as he nodded. He knew Sebastian was up to something.

"There's a great little dinner club in Columbus. They have a live lounge singer and a small, but intimate dance floor. I doubt we'd run into anyone we know there."

Blaine was having a little trouble focusing on what Sebastian was saying. There was something about the way he was talking in almost a purr that sent shivers down Blaine's back. "That sounds good."

Sebastian sat back with a satisfied grin. "Mr. Anderson, would you do me the privilege of accompanying me on a date?"

Blaine pulled himself together. "I would be honored, Mr. Smyth."

As he sipped his coffee, Blaine felt a slight misgiving. Trying to prove to Sebastian that romance beat out meaningless sex was a long shot at best. Trying to remind himself that romance beat out meaningless sex while Sebastian did his best to seduce him was a recipe for disaster.

What had he just agreed to?

"This is really nice," Blaine said as they finished off their meal at the small dinner club. He'd been reminding himself all week that his goal was to prove to Sebastian that dating could be more satisfying than just having a one-night stand. "It's actually quite romantic," Blaine added with a small smile.

Sebastian returned the smile. He was actually quite handsome when he wasn't throwing out pick-up lines. "I never said I didn't know how to do romance, just that I wasn't a romantic."

"You're doing a good imitation," Blaine said with a wider grin. Sebastian was never going to admit that he was enjoying himself, but Blaine knew better.

"Hmm, maybe I should go into acting," Sebastian mused. "Think of all the guys I could have without even lifting a finger."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "All you'd need in one silly commercial and everyone would fawn all over you."

"Do I sense a bit of sibling rivalry, Killer?" Sebastian asked.

"Let's not talk about Cooper," Blaine said. He loved his brother, really he did. He just didn't get why everyone thought Cooper was so great – including Cooper.

"I believe that it's time for the dancing portion of our date," Sebastian said. He stood and held out a hand for Blaine to take.

The music catered to the older crowd that tended to frequent the club, but the singer and piano player were better than average and Blaine liked all kinds of music anyway. The dimly lit dance floor wasn't very large and was secluded from the rest of the club by pillars and large plants.

"How did you ever find this place?" Blaine asked. "It doesn't seem like someplace you'd frequent, considering your attitude about romance."

Sebastian pulled him close (but not too close, per their agreement) and began to sway to the slow music that was playing. "My grandparents used to like to have dinner here. After my grandfather passed, my grandmother would bring me with her."

"Did she teach you how to dance?" Blaine asked. Sebastian sounded almost wistful.

"Oh, yes. She was a feisty old lady," Sebastian said fondly. "She would always order something fruity to drink for herself and then a brandy which she'd let me have. I think that was Grandfather's favorite drink."

"She sounds like a special person," Blaine said. His own grandparents had never been close enough for him to get to know well.

"Yeah, she was," Sebastian said. He pulled Blaine a bit closer so that they were cheek to cheek and hummed along with the song.

The music changed to something a little more upbeat and Blaine discovered that Sebastian actually was a good dancer. He knew all the classic dances that Blaine had been forced to learn growing up, but had never used.

"It's a little different when I'm not leading," Blaine complained as he missed a step.

Sebastian chuckled. "You can lead the next one."

They traded off leading songs until another slow one came on. There were only a few other couples dancing and they didn't seem to be paying any attention to the two young men.

"This is really nice, Sebastian," Blaine said. "I'm glad you thought of it."

Sebastian merely hummed an acknowledgement in Blaine's ear. One of Sebastian's hands was lightly resting on Blaine's waist and the other clasped one of Blaine's against his chest. Blaine could feel Sebastian's heart beat against his palm. For someone who claimed not to be a romantic, Sebastian really was faking it well.

As Sebastian lead Blaine around their corner of the dance floor, he slowly stroked the back of Blaine's captured hand with his long, strong fingers. The sensation was sending little sparks along Blaine's nerve endings and his breathing picked up a bit.

"Did I tell you how hot you look in that suit?" Sebastian said softly. "There is just something appealing about a well-dressed man."

Unlike his usual compliments, this one sounded sincere and not the least bit like a come-on. Blaine found himself flushing with pleasure even as he tried to remind himself that it was still Sebastian.

"Thank you, kind sir," Blaine replied. "You're rather striking yourself tonight." He could feel Sebastian's smile against his cheek.

Sebastian remained a perfect gentleman during the next few songs, all of them slow, and Blaine found himself getting more and more turned on by the little things that Sebastian kept doing. The way his hand moved just slightly against his waist, the way his lips brushed Blaine's cheek without becoming an outright kiss and especially the way he held Blaine's hand against his chest while humming softly into his ear.

There was no way Blaine was going to admit that Sebastian was getting to him though. He refused to give Sebastian the satisfaction.

"Not that I'm in any hurry to leave, but we do have a long drive back," Sebastian said.

Blaine didn't want to leave though. "We could get a room for the night," Blaine said. He rushed to make sure Sebastian didn't take it wrong though. "We've shared a bed before without it being anything… ungentlemanly." However, Blaine's thoughts were anything but gentlemanly at that moment. Sebastian didn't need to know that though.

"You're going to ruin my reputation, Killer," Sebastian said with a light chuckle. "Men everywhere are going to think I've gone soft."

"Your secret is safe with me," Blaine said with grin of his own. "The world might come to an end if it became known that Sebastian Smyth was actually a gentleman in wolf's clothing."

They danced on until the club closed and found a hotel not far away – upscale, of course. Sebastian didn't do anything by halves.

"Shall we have our coffee and dessert now or wait until morning?" Sebastian asked as he closed the door to the hotel room behind them.

Despite himself, Blaine yawned. "Morning, I think. I'm beat." There was a sofa near the entrance to the room while the actual bed was in a room by itself.

"I can sleep on the sofa, if you'd rather," Sebastian offered from just behind Blaine. He'd placed both his hands on Blaine's shoulders and Blaine could feel Sebastian's hot breath against his neck as he spoke.

"No reason for that," Blaine said, against his better judgment. In this case, he wasn't sure that he trusted himself. "The bed is huge. I doubt I'll even know you're there." Unless Sebastian insisted on cuddling like he had last time. Blaine's breath hitched at the thought.

"Do you mind if I sleep in just a t-shirt and shorts? Don't really want to walk through the lobby in the morning in wrinkled clothes and I didn't bring a change," Sebastian asked.

Blaine swallowed hard at the thought of Sebastian sleeping next to him with so little on. "Sure, that makes sense."

They took turns in the bathroom and then climbed under the covers of the huge bed. The sheets were chilly at first, but when Sebastian curled up against his back, Blaine felt like he'd been covered with an electric blanket.

"Is this okay?" Sebastian asked.

"It's fine," Blaine managed to choke out. It was more than fine. It was so much more than fine, but he wasn't admitting that to Sebastian.

Blaine breath hitched as Sebastian shifted slightly and leaned over enough to kiss his cheek.

"Good night, Killer," Sebastian said.

Blaine held his breath as Sebastian settled back again and then let it out shakily when it became obvious that Sebastian wasn't going to do anything else.

Relaxing with a hot, barely dressed man pressed against his back was next to impossible, but Blaine refused to move. That would be admitting that Sebastian was getting to him. He tried not to notice the bare legs that were tangled with his; to disregard the fingers that were clashed lightly through his; to pay no heed to the hot breath against his shoulder; to ignore the muscular torso pressed against his back.

Damn, it was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

"You got somewhere to be?" Sam asked Blaine, leaning over to speak softly as Mr. Schue droned on about something to do with some band from the 80's that no one else was really interested in. Glee practice was running late and Blaine knew that Sebastian would already be on his way to the Lima Bean. Things had been just a little off on their way back from Columbus, though it could just have been Blaine's confusion (and lack of sleep) from the night before.

"Just coffee with Sebastian," Blaine said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You guys do that, like, every day?" Sam asked. He hadn't given Blaine too hard a time about seeing him with Sebastian at the movies, but he still seemed to have reservations about Slushy-Warbler, which he still insisted on calling Sebastian.

"Not every day," Blaine replied a little sheepishly. They usually did something else together on the weekends.

"You guys dating or something?" Sam asked.

"We're just friends," Blaine said and checked the time on his iPhone again. How long was Mr. Schue going to talk? "We do stuff together, but that's all."

"I guess things with Kurt are really over then," Sam said. "He seems pretty serious about this Adam guy."

For the first time, Blaine didn't feel the pang of regret at the mention of Kurt's new boyfriend. "The last time we talked didn't end so well. I don't think there's a chance that we'll get back together now."

Sam nodded. "You and Slushy-Warbler ever, you know," Sam made a motion with his hands that took Blaine a moment to decipher. When he finally did, his cheeks began to burn a bit.

"No, it's not like that," Blaine replied. "We're just friends."

"That's what you said about Kurt at Valentine's and everyone knows what went down between you two before the wedding-that-wasn't," Sam replied.

Finn objected to something that Mr. Schue had said and the two started to argue.

"We haven't done anything like _that_," Blaine said, attempting to repeat Sam's hand motion. "I want a relationship, not a one-night stand."

"So you do like him, you know, like like him," Sam said.

Blaine shrugged as he sent Sebastian a quick text saying Glee was running late. "I don't know," Blaine replied to Sam's question. "Maybe if he was interested, but he isn't, so there's no point in thinking about it." Blaine didn't deny that sex was a wonderful thing -it was at the top of the list of things he enjoyed. He just wanted it to be with someone who only wanted him.

Mr. Schue and Finn were now arguing about things that had nothing to do with Nationals or Prom or anything to do with Glee. Artie was edging towards the door and the others were looking at each other as if debating on their chances of making it out before either of their instructors noticed.

"So, tell him how you feel," Sam suggested.

"I thought you didn't like him," Blaine said. If Artie made it through the door, Blaine was ready to make his escape attempt next.

"If you think he deserves a chance, then I say go for it," Sam said. Artie was almost out the door. Finn and Mr. Schue were facing each other while they shouted. "I think we can make it if we stay low and move slowly."

Blaine nodded and they stealthily made their way to the door that was now closing. As soon as they made it to the safety of the hallway, the rest of New Directions came stumbling one by one through the door behind them.

Tina put her ear to the door. "They're still arguing. I don't think they've even noticed that we're gone."

"Let's get out of here before they do notice," Ryder said. They all scattered.

Blaine was toying with Sam's suggestion to just tell Sebastian about how he felt as he pulled into the Lima Bean parking lot. The problem was, he wasn't really sure what exactly he wanted from Sebastian. There were only a couple of months left before they both graduated and went their separate ways. Did he want to even attempt a relationship under those circumstances? Was it worth losing what he had with Sebastian now on the off chance that the other man might have changed his mind and want the same thing? And what about Kurt? There was no way he wouldn't hear about it and that would signal the death knell on any chance they had to get back together. And if Blaine was still interested in getting back together with Kurt, why was he even thinking about starting something up with Sebastian?

Blaine was completely frustrated with his own indecision as he walked in the Lima Bean. He'd only taken a couple of steps inside when his gaze found Sebastian leaning against the display case as he flirted with a new barista. The guy was so entranced with Sebastian's charm that he was barely able to break away from Sebastian's attentions to take Blaine's order. Blaine didn't miss the small piece of paper that the barista slipped to Sebastian while Blaine put his change away. He wasn't sure why it irritated him – it's was just Sebastian being Sebastian – but it irked him all the same.

"I see you found a way to keep yourself occupied," Blaine said sourly as they found table.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair and cocked his head to one side. "Someone is in a lousy mood. That teacher of yours decide to trot off to some more deserving charity again and leave you hanging just before Nationals?"

Blaine sighed heavily. He didn't want to discuss why he was really irritated; he wasn't sure he understood it himself. "He and Finn got into it again. We all had to sneak out while they were arguing with each other." It was as good an excuse as any.

"Charming," Sebastian replied, rolling his eyes. "You should just fire both of them and find some figure head to take over while you run things. At this rate, you'll be making up routines the night before the competition."

From what Blaine had heard, it wouldn't be the first time. "It's not just Nationals. They want us to perform at the Prom too. So far, we don't have a set list for either one, let alone started to practice."

"Ah, the Prom, a social gathering of hormonally charged teens who dress to the nines in the hopes that they might get laid before the evening is over so that they have something they can remember in twenty years when they run into a former school mate at a bar after their spouse has thrown them out for being the loser that they are."

"I take it that you don't care for the Prom," Blaine said dryly.

"On the contrary, I look stunning in a tux and I definitely like the getting laid part," Sebastian replied with a smirk.

Despite his irritation about the barista, Blaine couldn't help but laugh. It was so typical of Sebastian.

"I'm guessing that you have your own tux, tailor to fit you to perfection," Blaine teased.

"It's too bad that Dalton doesn't have a prom," Sebastian said. "I could show you just how perfect a fit it is."

Later, Blaine would wonder if Sebastian had slipped something into his drink. That was the only explanation for what he said next. He certainly didn't think it through beforehand. "I don't have a date for my Prom yet," Blaine said. "You can show me just how good you look in that tux then."

Sebastian choked on his coffee. "Damn, Anderson, are you trying to kill me?" He asked in amazement as he mopped the coffee from his face and jacket.

"Is there a problem?" Blaine asked innocently. He hadn't meant to startle Sebastian, but was amused that he could.

"Does this mean I'm getting laid?" Sebastian asked.

"Are you planning to use that number the barista gave you?" Blaine asked.

Sebastian looked wary. "What if I am?"

For once, Blaine knew just what to say. He stood up, leaned forward and rested his hands on the top of the table. "Then I'd say there is a good chance that you're getting laid, just not on Prom night." He smiled sweetly and walked out.

"So, Blaine-Blaine, do you have a date for the Prom yet?" Tina asked as she joined Blaine at the lunch table.

Blaine felt that moment of panic as he debated how to answer. He wondered what the hell he'd been thinking in asking Sebastian to be his date for Prom. Once that got out, he'd be the center of storm of gossip. "Uh, yeah, I've got it covered."

Sam looked up with a question on his face and Blaine nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Sam gave him a thumbs up in encouragement.

"Seriously?" Tina said in surprise. "Who are you going with?"

"Just a friend," Blaine replied. He should have known Tina wouldn't let it go that easily. She seemed to think her status as his friend meant she had a right to know everything.

"Male or female?" Tina asked.

Blaine wondered if she'd be more jealous if it were another girl. "A guy," he replied. He racked his brain for something else to talk about.

"Is it that pretty bird from the movies?" Brittany asked. "He looks so much nicer since he changed his feathers."

"You're dating someone?" Tina asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Blaine floundered for a way to answer that didn't give everything away. He wasn't sure why he was worried about it. It wasn't like he could hide who his Prom date was once he walked in with Sebastian.

"We're just friends," Blaine said. "We hang out and do stuff together. We're not dating."

"Is he gay?" Tina asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, he's gay, but that doesn't mean we can't just be friends." Blaine shot Sam a 'save me' look.

"Hey, has anyone seen Mr. Schue today?" Sam asked. "Finn grumbled about their argument all last night. I'm guessing round whatever-number-we're-on-now is going to continue this afternoon."

Blaine gave a sigh of relief as Artie joined them and the conversation turned to what they were going to do for Nationals if they couldn't get Finn and Mr. Schue to focus. Blaine knew he'd have to come clean about his date sometime, but not just yet. He needed to figure this out himself first.

Between school, Glee and Cheerios, Blaine was worn out. He was so glad that spring break was the next week. There would only be Glee to worry about then. Most of New Directions was staying in town so that they could work on their set lists. Maybe they'd finally make some headway.

Sebastian was waiting with two cups of coffee as Blaine sank into the chair opposite him with a tired sigh.

"Is that a cheerleading uniform?" Sebastian asked. His mouth was half-opened in surprise.

"Coach Sylvester sort of blackmailed me into rejoining the Cheerios," Blaine said. "I didn't have time to change after practice."

"I'll have to send her some flowers as a thank you," Sebastian said. "That uniform makes me glad that my pants are rather loose in certain areas."

Blaine could feel his face heating up. "Sebastian," he said in protest.

"Mmm, the fantasies I'm going to have later," Sebastian mused. "Hell, forget later. I'm having one right now. Would you like me to share?"

"No, you can keep your fantasies to yourself," Blaine said, only half-serious. It was actually rather nice to have someone flatter him, even if it was laced with innuendoes.

"If that's what you wanted, you shouldn't be walking around wearing that," Sebastian said. He leaned to one side so that he could better see Blaine's profile. "Or sitting either."

"I can't believe you have a cheerleader fetish," Blaine said. "That's so… conventional."

"Trust me, short skirts and pom-poms don't do a thing for me," Sebastian said. "This is definitely doing something though."

"You're incorrigible," Blaine said without ranker.

"And you look completely edible in that outfit," Sebastian said. He leaned forward slightly. "I can think of just one place I'd rather see that Cheerios' uniform."

Blaine knew he was going to regret it, but he asked anyway. "Where would that be?"

Sebastian licked his lips slowly. "Lying in a crumpled heap beside my bed."

Blaine would never understand how anyone could flip/flop from being a perfect gentleman to such a sex-crazed maniac, but Sebastian had it mastered. Blaine found he actually liked the maniac, if only he were the only one Sebastian said that sort of thing too. "If you'd like, I have a uniform in my trunk that you can take home with you. Just make sure you have it cleaned before you bring it back."

"Score one for the cheerleader," Sebastian said with a chuckle.

Blaine smiled back, glad he hadn't gotten too flustered to come up with a response for once.

"So what did Hummel say when he found out who your prom date is?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine took a long drink of his coffee as he remembered the conversation at lunch earlier in the week. He'd been avoiding Tina ever since and he knew she was suspicious. "I wouldn't know. It's not like we talk anymore."

"I'm fairly sure that if he knew, he'd make the effort to let you know how he felt," Sebastian said. "How about the rest of that Glee club of yours? Am I being burned in effigy?"

"Of course not," Blaine said quickly. He played with his coffee cup without looking up.

Sebastian gazed at Blaine for a long minute as he sipped his coffee. "You haven't told anyone, have you? Having second thoughts?"

Blaine glanced up in surprise. Sebastian actually sounded slightly hurt. "Sam knows. So does Brittany, although she calls you 'the pretty bird'." He hoped that was enough to satisfy Sebastian.

""Pretty bird', huh? I kind of like that," Sebastian said with a wry grin. "So why are you so worried about Hummel finding out?"

"What makes you think that I'm worried about Kurt?" Blaine asked. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. How on earth did Sebastian make these leaps of logic?

"Oh – My – God. You still think you have a chance of getting back together with him," Sebastian said incredulously.

Blaine started to deny it, but this was Sebastian. He'd never buy it. "If you'd ever been in love, you'd understand."

"Thank the gods that I haven't been afflicted with that particular form of mental illness," Sebastian replied with an incredulous shake of his head.

"I know it's stupid," Blaine groaned. He put his elbows on the table and leaned his forehead against his raised hands. "I know it is. I just can't seem to stop."

Sebastian gently pulled Blaine's hands down and tipped Blaine's up to meet his gaze. "What am I going to do with you, Anderson?"

Blaine's heart lurched at the gently, slightly fond tone. "Tell me that I should move on and forget him. Tell me that I'm not making a mistake."

"You've got to figure that out for yourself," Sebastian said. "I will give you some advice though. Don't change yourself to be what someone else wants. Don't settle for less than someone's best. And my favorite, don't wait for it – you want it, go after it now. It might not be there tomorrow."

"What if the other person isn't interested in the same thing I am?" Blaine asked. He wasn't talking about Kurt any more.

Sebastian looked just a little sad. "Then find someone who does." He sat back and picked up his coffee cup. "If this prom thing is going to be an issue, I'm sure I can find some other way to occupy myself that evening. It's not a big deal."

Blaine almost took the out that Sebastian gave him. Almost. "And miss my chance to see you in a perfectly tailored tux? Forget it." He'd figure the rest out later.

Blaine was walking to lunch when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom.

"Okay, Anderson, fess up. Who are you taking to Prom?" Tina demanded. She had the door blocked so that Blaine couldn't escape.

"We're going to miss lunch," Blaine tried to deflect. He wondered if he could make it out a window before she stopped him.

"Why won't you tell me?" Tina asked. "It's not like I'm not going to see him Prom night."

"Tina, it's complicated," Blaine replied. How did he get into these situations?

Tina crossed her arms over her chest with a stubborn set to her jaw. "Does he go to this school? Is that why you don't want to say?"

"No, that's not it," Blaine said. "Tina, please, let's just go to lunch."

Tina narrowed her eyes in contemplation. Blaine could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "Not this school, someone you're embarrassed to admit you're going with, a 'pretty bird' and he's gay."

Blaine felt a lump form in his stomach. Tina was too curious by far.

"Someone from Dalton? You said you still talk to them," Tina said.

Blaine knew his face gave him away.

"But why would you be embarrassed about that?" Tina mused.

Blaine closed his eyes as he waited for Tina to connect the dots.

"No, you wouldn't go to Prom with him," Tina said in disbelief. "Kurt would never forgive you."

"Kurt doesn't have a say in who I go to Prom with," Blaine said. He neither confirmed nor denied the conclusion Tina had arrived at. She could be thinking of someone else, after all.

"He tried to break you and Kurt up last year. He stole Michael from us and nearly blinded you," Tina ranted. "He stole our Nationals trophy this year and cheated at Sectionals to beat us. Why would you take HIM to Prom?"

So much for her thinking is was someone other than Sebastian. "He's not like that anymore. And for the record, he didn't steal the trophy, Hunter did."

"He almost blinded you," Tina repeated. "What were you thinking?"

Blaine dropped into the seat at a desk with a heavy sigh. He had no idea what he'd been thinking or why he hadn't taken the out Sebastian had given him. "There's no reason that two friends can't go to Prom together." He insisted stubbornly.

Tina seemed to sense that she pushed the Sebastian-is-an-evil-bastard card a little too far, so she switched tactics. "What about Kurt? He's going to flip when he finds out."

"Kurt is dating someone else. He doesn't get a say in who I hang out with," Blaine replied.

"He's going to think that's who you cheated on him with," Tina said. "It wasn't, was it?"

"I already told Kurt it wasn't. I can't help what he believes," Blaine said. That was the crux of the matter though. Going to Prom with Sebastian would ruin any chance Blaine had of getting back together with Kurt. He had yet to answer that question and Prom was getting closer every day.

"You should at least tell him," Tina said softly. "He shouldn't have to hear that from Santana."

Blaine puffed out the breath he'd been holding. "Yeah, you're right." He had no idea how to do that though. Telling Kurt he'd cheated on him seemed easy compared to this.


	6. Chapter 6

"Is this punishment for something?" Sebastian whined as Blaine pulled to a stop in front of the bowling alley.

"Says the man who owns his own ball and shoes," Blaine replied with a long-suffering sigh. Sebastian had been complaining about their evening's activity since Blaine had picked him up. "Trent says you used to go with them all the time." When Trent had called to suggest they reinstate Warbler Bowling Night, Blaine had immediately agreed. He was only too aware that in a few short weeks, they would all be graduating and moving on. There was a good chance that they wouldn't all be together again except for the occasional reunion.

"A good leader does what he has to in order to satisfy the masses," Sebastian replied.

"Nick says he's going to wipe the floor with you," Blaine said. If there was one thing he knew about Sebastian, he couldn't pass up a challenge.

"As if," Sebastian scoffed. "Duval is going down."

Blaine hid his smile as they collected their bags from the back of the car. "I don't know. He's pretty good."

"You have never seen me play," Sebastian said with his typical arrogance. He gave Blaine a suggestive once-over as he closed the trunk. "Of course, watching you play might just be worth enduring a bunch of drunk, rednecks who think bowling in an actual sport."

Blaine rolled his eyes and tried not to think about watching Sebastian's backside as he sent the ball down the alley. It was a rather appealing picture though.

Sebastian leaned in close as they walked towards the entrance. "What naughty image do you have going through your mind, Anderson?"

"You're a bad influence, Smyth," Blaine answered. His face burned a bit at being so transparent.

He didn't have to deal with any more innuendoes from Sebastian as Trent called out a greeting to them and motioned them over to the lane where he waited with Nick and Jeff. The rest of the Warblers (minus Hunter) had already started to bowl on the adjoining lanes.

Various greetings were exchanged as Blaine and Sebastian made their way over to Trent. The Warblers all knew the rocky history between Blaine and Sebastian and more than few curious glances followed them, though none of the Warblers were daring enough to ask why they'd arrived together.

Blaine set his bag down next to Jeff and changed shoes while Nick and Sebastian argued 'terms of engagement' which seemed to involve betting money on the outcome of each frame.

"They're about evenly matched, so neither of them really comes out ahead," Trent said to Blaine, taking the seat next to him. "I think they enjoy trying to beat each other more than they do bowling."

Blaine glanced up with a grin. "Sebastian whined about coming until I told him Nick was planning to kick his ass."

Jeff burst out laughing. "That would do it."

"At least they limit their insults to each other," Trent said. He was actually a good bowler when he focused, but got rattled easily. Trent glanced over at the Warblers in the next lane who kept looking their way. "There's a rumor going around Dalton that you're taking Sebastian to the McKinley Prom." He didn't ask if it was true or not. Trent didn't like to pry.

Blaine glanced over as well and the other Warblers made a point of looking elsewhere. "Yeah, but just as friends. It's kind of pathetic to go Prom stag."

"Kurt's definitely out of the picture then?" Jeff asked. Sebastian was changing shoes while he and Nick continued to trash-talk each other.

Blaine shrugged. He still considered Trent and Jeff his closest friends at Dalton (other than Sebastian). "Kurt's seeing someone in New York."

Trent sucked in a surprised breath. "That's got to hurt."

"It did, but I'm getting over it," Blaine said. He smiled reassuringly, not even having to force it for once. "So, where are you guys going to college?"

The conversation turned to graduation and college plans with Sebastian and Nick finally joining them just before starting the game. Blaine ended up bowling just before Sebastian and the later never failed to make some suggestive comment that only Blaine could hear as they passed at the ball return. There was a lot of good-natured harassment as they took their turns bowling and Blaine found himself missing the camaraderie that he'd once had with these guys.

They were about halfway through the first game when Blaine found himself alone with Jeff while Sebastian and Nick argued about something that had happened at a Lacrosse game earlier in the year.

"So how are things going with you and Nick?" Blaine asked. He forced himself to look away from the view Sebastian provided as he threw the ball down the lane.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Jeff replied. His gaze flickered to Nick and then away.

"And Blaine hasn't been watching Sebastian's backside every time he bowls," Trent said wryly as he rejoined them.

Blaine managed a weak protest which neither of his friends believed.

"Jeff is firmly in the friend zone," Trent confided when Jeff didn't answer Blaine's question. "Nick is even more oblivious than you were when Kurt first came to Dalton."

Jeff sighed heavily. "I've done everything but throw myself at him," He said. "I do have some pride."

"Pride, but no boyfriend," Trent said.

"What are you three whispering about over here?" Nick asked as he plopped down beside Jeff and helped himself to Jeff's fries.

"Relationships," Trent said, innocently.

"And the lack thereof," Blaine added.

Sebastian gave a snort of derision as he took the seat vacated by Jeff whose turn was up. "If you girls start painting each other's nails, I'm leaving."

"Can't bowl with wet nails," Trent replied. Blaine snickered as Sebastian rolled his eyes.

After they finished their first game (with Nick beating Sebastian by one point), Blaine decided to get something to eat at the concessions counter. Sebastian followed him, placed his own order and then left Blaine to wait for the food while he went to the restroom.

"F-ing queers. Can't even have a descent game of bowling without them throwing their f-ing queerness in everyone's face."

Blaine glanced over at the speaker while trying not to react. He'd heard worse and had no desire to get into an argument with a half-drunk redneck in a bowling alley. He was only half surprised to find that the man was staring at him.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you," the man said to Blaine. He took a few steps closer while his buddy snickered. "Why don't you and your boyfriend leave descent people in peace?"

"I don't want any trouble," Blaine said, raising his hands slightly in an attempt to placate the man. "We're just here to bowl."

The man continued to rant while stepping closer. Blaine glanced around him, but there wasn't any way to get past the man. The girl that had been working the counter had disappeared and the Warblers were at the other end of the bowling alley and most likely didn't see what was happening. He was on his own.

The drunk moved within arm's reach while he continued to rave. Blaine was still trying to find a way around the man so that he could avoid an altercation when the man shoved him, pushing Blaine backwards into the counter. When Blaine failed to react, the drunk must have decided he had an easy target and took a swing at Blaine.

Blaine, however, wasn't as easy a target as the drunk expected. He blocked the blow and returned with a punch to the man's stomach. The drunk doubled over and as his head descended, Blaine connected with an upper cut to his chin. The drunk fell backwards, dazed but not out. Blaine had forgotten about the drunk's friend though and a moment later he was tackled as he tried to move past the drunk.

The next few moments were a blur as Blaine fell and chairs scattered. After several blows and becoming tangled in the fallen chairs, Blaine finally managed to extricate himself from his opponent only to find that the fight had expanded to including several Warblers and a few men Blaine didn't recognize. A large man in a faded bowling shirt broke up the few remaining combatants as Sebastian helped Blaine to his feet.

"You lot," the large man ordered the drunk and his friends, "get your sorry asses out and if I see your shadow darkening my door again, I'll have you all taken in for trespassing." Blaine assumed the man must be the owner.

The drunk shot Blaine a look full of hate as his friends pulled him off the floor and half-carried him out.

"As for the rest of you, get this mess straightened up and get back to the lanes. If you're not bowling, I'm not making money," the owner gave them a nod and then walked over to Blaine as the Warblers began to pick up chairs and put them back in some sort of order.

"You okay, son?" the owner asked Blaine.

Blaine had expected more yelling and was rather thrown by the owner's concern. "Um, yeah, I think." He started to stammer out an apology, but the owner waved it away.

"Not your fault. That idiot causes trouble every time he comes in," the owner said and then grinned with a wink. "Might think twice about picking on someone half his size after this though. That was a beauty of an upper-cut. Never seen better."

"All that practice paid off," Jeff said with a grin.

Blaine was amazed that the owner wasn't going to throw them out as well, but he apparently placed the blame squarely on the drunk and his friends.

"We should get you cleaned up," Sebastian said to Blaine. He looked a little worse for wear himself. "And maybe an icepack for your face."

"I'll see if they have something at the counter," Trent offered.

Blaine's friends milled around talking about the fight until Sebastian ran them off, reminding them that the owner wasn't making money while they stood around talking. When Trent returned with a zip-lock bag of ice and a first-aid kit, Sebastian practically pushed Blaine into the restroom so he could clean up.

"How bad is it?" Blaine asked as Sebastian cleaned the cut on his cheek. The mirror in the restroom left a lot to be desired and he wasn't sure he wanted to look too closely anyway.

"Cut on the cheek isn't bad, but your lip is going to be swollen," Sebastian said. "Your Glee club is going to have a field day when you show up at school like this."

Blaine hissed as Sebastian dabbed some ointment on the cut. "They'll probably find some way to blame you for it."

"They probably can't wait to say 'I told you so'. Everyone knows what an evil influence I am," Sebastian said with a wry grin.

Blaine grabbed Sebastian's hand and held it until Sebastian met his gaze. "You're not an evil influence." And then, to lighten the mood, he added, "Besides, knowing the Warblers, the story is all over Facebook by now."

Sebastian laughed shortly. "Complete with pictures."

Blaine poked at his cheek and winced. "Hope they got my good side."

"Like you have a bad side," Sebastian said.

Blaine smiled slightly at the sort-of-compliment and then winced as his cheek muscle rebelled against the movement. "How did everyone else get involved? It looked like one of those bad westerns when I got up from the floor."

"I was walking back to the concessions counter when that guy shoved you," Sebastian said. "The redneck's friends tried to stop me from getting to you and then the other Warblers must have realized what was going on and joined in."

"Coming to my rescue?" Blaine asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He wasn't a damsel in distress.

"Just trying to even up the odds," Sebastian said and then grinned. "I had no idea you could throw a punch like that. You are just full of surprises."

Blaine flushed at the praise. Boxing was something he'd taken up to work out his anger. He'd never used it against someone else before and wasn't sure how he felt about it.

Sebastian tipped Blaine's face up until Blaine met his gaze. "There's no shame in defending yourself. In case it escaped your notice, no one blames you for what happened."

Blaine let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. He'd known what Sebastian said was true, but hearing it from someone else helped him really believe it.

"Did anyone else get hurt?" Blaine asked.

"They all walked away," Sebastian said without concern. "Trent will make sure the Warblers all okay."

Sebastian put the ice-pack against Blaine's lip and waited until Blaine was holding it in place before letting go.

"Your hand doesn't look so good," Blaine said. He'd noticed that Sebastian had winced when he'd tried to straighten his fingers.

"Just a little swollen," Sebastian said with an offhand shrug. He held his hand up and eyed it critically. "Might be a little difficult to hold the ball though. Guess I can leer at your ass from the sidelines if you want to play another game."

Blaine had to laugh, even as he blushed. "Silver lining, huh?"

Sebastian grinned in return. "Of course."

A moment passed while they simply stood there looking at each other. Blaine wasn't sure if he moved first or if Sebastian did, but then their lips brushed tentatively, not even a real kiss at first. It quickly changed into something more intense and there was no telling where it would have ended if Blaine hadn't been injured. He pulled back with a sharp cry of pain when the kiss pressed too hard against his cut lip.

"Sorry, forgot about that," Sebastian said a little breathlessly.

Blaine took a few deep breaths to get his own breathing under control. "Sebastian…" He wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to say.

Sebastian looked away. "It's probably just the adrenalin rush from the fight. It doesn't mean anything."

"Wait." Blaine grabbed Sebastian's sleeve as he turned away. "What if I want it to mean something?"

Sebastian tensed, but didn't look at him. "Don't ask for something I can't give."

Blaine dropped his hand as if burned. "What are you so afraid of?"

Sebastian started to say something and then shook his head with a dark chuckle. "We both know I'm not boyfriend material." He finally looked up. His expression was carefully neutral. "Chase your dreams, Killer. Let the fantasies go."

Sebastian walked out, leaving a frustrated Blaine to ponder what exactly had just happened.

Over the next few days, Sebastian maintained a careful distance from Blaine. He answered Blaine's texts, but made excuses for missing their coffee dates at the Lima Bean. Finally deciding that he needed to just get away for a while, he changed his mind about joining the Warblers for their Spring Break beach trip.

The one thing Sebastian didn't count on was the constant less-than-subtle inquiries from Trent and Jeff about what was going on between him and Blaine. Despite his attempts at deflection – a tactic that normally worked well - they didn't seem to want to let it go. Sebastian was about ready to feed them both to the sharks.

"What's with Trent and Jeff?" Nick asked as he dropped into the lounge chair beside Sebastian.

"How would I know?" Sebastian replied in irritation. He'd only managed to get rid of them this last time by pretending that he was asleep. It was hard for them to get answers from someone who refused to respond.

"I've seen them watching you with that look they get when they're plotting something," Nick replied. He put the back down on the lounge chair and stretched out.

Sebastian snorted derisively. "They're trying to play match-maker since they've done so well with their own relationships."

Nick shot a confused look at Jeff who was playing volleyball with Trent and some of the other Warblers. "Neither of them are in relationships." He sounded like he was worried he'd missed something.

"My point exactly," Sebastian replied dryly.

"Oh, so who are they trying to fix you up with?" Nick asked, relieved. Sebastian wondered if Nick had any idea how obvious he was.

"Doesn't matter," Sebastian said. "If I want to get laid, I can always find someone willing. Don't see any reason to put myself through all the angst that goes with a relationship."

"Yeah, I guess," Nick said. He cast another longing look in Jeff's direction.

"Why don't you just ask him out already?" Sebastian said in exasperation. He expected Nick to start sighing wistfully any moment now like some lovelorn school girl.

"Huh? Who?" Nick asked, startled.

"The blonde that you keep staring at like he's the last piece of apple pie at the picnic," Sebastian replied.

"You mean Jeff?" Nick asked as if that were the farthest thing from his mind. "We're just friends."

"You wouldn't be if you'd man up and ask him out," Sebastian said. How did these two manage to dance around each other for so long without either of them making some sort of move? It was obvious to everyone else, even Sebastian, who really didn't care.

"We're graduating in a just a few weeks," Nick said morosely. "It's a little late to start something up now, even if he was interested."

"Uh-huh," Sebastian said. He rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Fine, graduate, move on with your life and spend the next twenty years wondering what might have been."

"Sounds like you've given this a lot of thought," Nick said pointedly. "And I doubt it was about me and Jeff."

Maybe Nick wasn't as oblivious as Sebastian thought, but he wasn't about to have this turned around on him. "I've watched you two moon over each other for almost two years now. It'd be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic."

Nick scowled back. "What the hell does Blaine see in you? You're a right bastard at the best of times."

"Truth hurts," Sebastian said, unrepentant. He had no answer for the first comment as he'd wondered the same thing on more than one occasion.

"It's amazing how some people are so free with advice that they're afraid to take themselves," Nick said, still glaring at Sebastian.

Sebastian knew he was being goaded but it would take a better man than Nick Duval to get to him. "Not advice, just an observation. Make of it what you will."

"Like you're some sort of expert," Nick said angrily. "You've been leading Blaine on for weeks now. If he ever broke down and actually got in bed with you, you'd drop him like a hot potato the next day."

"Blaine is intelligent enough to realize that, which is why we are only friends," Sebastian said evenly. He wondered what Nick would say if Sebastian told him that he and Blaine had slept together (literally, but he didn't have to add that), not just once, but twice. It was an amusing thought that he kept to himself.

"I don't get you," Nick said, shaking his head in confusion. "Why chase after a guy that you know isn't interested?"

"I am capable of being just friends with a guy," Sebastian replied, irritation returning. "That's hardly what I'd call 'chasing after' him. You, on the other hand, would rather play martyr than go after what you want. If you want to be the poster child for 'unrequited love' fine, but at least don't force the rest of us to bear witness to your train wreck of a life."

"Go to hell," Nick said and stormed off.

Sebastian went through the buffet line early that night, hoping to avoid his fellow Warblers. He was tired of fielding questions about his non-relationship with Blaine and Nick was beyond pissed at the moment, so any conversation with him was bound to end badly. Sebastian didn't mind eating alone if it meant peace and quiet.

His hopes for a calm evening were dashed when Trent joined him a few minutes later.

"Have you seen Nick and Jeff?" Trent said in a low voice as if he were afraid that mentioning their names would somehow make them appear.

"I haven't had the misfortune recently," Sebastian replied with a sigh of resignation.

"I think something is going on," Trent said. He sounded worried.

"And why would you think that?" Sebastian asked. Not that he really cared, but the sooner Trent got whatever is was off his chest, the sooner he'd leave.

"They were talking earlier and they seemed, well, different," Trent said. He frowned as if reviewing what he'd seen earlier to make sure he hadn't missed something. "Then they left together and it was almost like…"

"Like?" Sebastian prompted.

"Like they were together. You know, _together_," Trent said, stressing the last word in case Sebastian didn't get his meaning. "And they haven't come down for dinner yet and you know how Nick likes to eat."

"You could knock on their door," Sebastian replied. They were sharing a room, which was entirely too convenient in Sebastian's opinion.

"I went by there, but they had one of those 'Do Not Disturb' signs hanging on the doorknob," Trent said. "What if they're… you know?"

Sebastian couldn't believe that Nick would have finally made a move after all this time. Of course, Nick would love to show Sebastian up. That may have been enough impetus to finally get him off his ass.

"I'm sure they'll come up for air eventually," Sebastian replied dryly. "Sex does tend to give one a healthy appetite."

Trent turned slightly red. "You think they really are, you know, doing it?"

"If they have a brain between them," Sebastian replied. He had some doubts about the validity of that statement, but it hardly mattered to him one way or the other.

"Wow, that'd be great," Trent said with a slow smile and then blushed. "Not the having sex part. I mean the finally getting together part."

"Whoopie," Sebastian said indifferently. "You and Sterling can start planning the wedding tomorrow. Just make sure you find him a soft chair to sit on."

Trent looked confused for a moment and then turned bright red as Sebastian's meaning sunk in. "TMI, Smyth."

Sebastian smiled smugly. He thoroughly enjoyed making Trent embarrassed. "Of course, it could go the other way. Duval always struck me as a bottom."

Trent covered his ears. "I think I'm going to get something to eat."

Sebastian chuckled as Trent made a hurried exit. Hopefully, he wouldn't come back.

The one thing that Sebastian hadn't counted on was just how sickly sweet Nick and Jeff (or Niff, as Trent insisted on calling them) were together. It seemed like they were intent on making up for all those years they'd wasted in the space of a few days. It didn't help that Nick kept shooting him this superior grin, as if he'd somehow beaten Sebastian at something.

The only up-side of the whole thing was that Jeff was too wrapped up in his own blossoming romance to worry about Sebastian's and Trent seemed to have forgotten about it as well. It was almost time to return back to Lima and Sebastian had managed to spend a few peaceful days lounging on the beach (while pretending Niff didn't exist).

With no one to put him on the defensive, Sebastian admitted, at least to himself, that he was pushing Blaine away in self-defense. Why put yourself out there when you knew it was going to end eventually and usually quite messily when it did? Friends-with-benefits would have been great, but Hummel had ruined any chance of that with his Valentine's Day antics. Blaine was even more determined to have a real relationship than before and he was proving quite stubborn about it.

While Sebastian hadn't planned the first night they'd spent together, he had carefully choreographed the second. He'd done everything Blaine had wanted; a romantic dinner, dancing the classics, even going to Columbus had been with the idea that there was a chance they could spend the night instead of driving back. Sebastian had turned on the charm and all it had gotten him was an unresolved case of blue-balls.

The worse part of it was that if Blaine asked, he'd do it again. And Blaine had. And Sebastian had agreed. And now Sebastian berated himself for being an idiot. An idiot that was taking his non-boyfriend to the Prom.

Then there was that kiss – in a bowling alley restroom, of all places. It had taken everything he had in him to walk away. There was this voice in the back of his head that kept telling him to give Blaine whatever he wanted, even if that meant a relationship. Sebastian ruthlessly stomped that voice down until he couldn't even hear it whimper.

"They look good together, don't they?" Trent gushed as Nick said something that made Jeff duck his head and giggle like a school-girl.

"Adorable," Sebastian said sarcastically.

"Don't be hating," Trent said, turning towards Sebastian. "You could have that in a heartbeat if you wanted."

"Are you propositioning me, Nixon?" Sebastian asked.

"You should be so lucky," Trent replied. "I'm taking about Blaine and don't give me that song and dance about not being interested. I'm not blind."

"I'm interested in fucking his brains out and he's interested in happily ever after," Sebastian replied bluntly. "Never the twain shall meet."

"If you gave him his happily ever after, he'd probably be more than happy to let you fuck his brains out," Trent replied, much to Sebastian's shock.

"Whatever it is you're drinking, get me one," Sebastian said. He was rather in awe that Trent had managed to say that, even if his cheeks were slightly rosy now.

"I'm just saying, if you met him halfway, you could both get what you want," Trent said, slightly exasperated and slightly embarrassed. It was an interesting combination.

"There's no such thing as 'happily ever after'," Sebastian said. "We live, we die and in between, we make the best of it."

"I always thought you were a risk-taker," Trent said. "I guess Nick is the better man after all."

That was a low blow, but Sebastian recognized manipulation when he saw it. It was a lot more fun when Blaine did it.

"I could always fake it and once I get what I want, move on," Sebastian said.

Trent looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment. "I don't think you'd hurt him like that."

Sebastian wasn't going to give Trent the satisfaction of agreeing with him, even if it was true. "Blaine is too smart to fall for that anyway."

Trent nodded pensively. "You're right. It would probably take some major declaration on your part to convince him."

"Good thing I'm not interested then," Sebastian said. Trent was like a dog with a bone.

"You could sing something," Trent mused. "Something romantic that tells him exactly how you feel. Something from the heart."

"Excuse me?" Sebastian said. Had Trent listening to him at all?

"Yeah, that's it," Trent nodded to himself and then looked at Sebastian. "You should sing him a song at Prom. I bet the New Directions would help if you asked."

"New Directions think I'm evil incarnate," Sebastian said, flabbergasted.

"They'd do it for Blaine," Trent said. He smiled like he'd just solved world hunger. "You just have to find a song that will speak to him."

"I speak to him just fine without singing about it," Sebastian said. He must have fallen asleep without realizing it because there was no way he was having this conversation while awake.

"I'll send Sam a text and let him know that you want to sing something for Blaine at Prom," Trent said while Sebastian gaped.

"I'm not singing at Blaine's Prom," Sebastian protested.

Trent gave him a very direct look. "Nick told me what you said to him. Time to take your own advice and man up. Or are you saying that Nick did something that you're too chicken-shit to even attempt?"

He was definitely being manipulated and not very subtly. Sebastian Smyth was not to be toyed with though. "Fine, but I get to pick the song without any input from you losers."

Trent's smile wouldn't have been so triumphant if he'd known exactly what Sebastian was thinking right then.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite her numerous attempts to convince herself that Blaine would never return her feelings, Tina's heart fluttered as the object of her obsession walked into Glee practice and took the seat beside her.

"Your face," Tina exclaimed in dismay. She'd seen the pictures from the bowling alley – everyone in Glee had, of course – but they had all been from a distance. "Does it hurt?" She wanted to reach out and touch his face, but sat on her hands instead. No reason to make it worse.

"It's not so bad," Blaine said with a reassuring smile. He was always such a gentleman and wouldn't want her to worry. "It should be healed before Prom."

Sam slipped into the chair just behind Blaine and leaned over his shoulder. "I heard you laid that guy out with a perfect upper cut. That's awesome."

"The Bible says that we should turn the other cheek," Joe commented, but he looked concerned at the same time. Tina wasn't sure what to make of Joe. He was nice enough, but a little intense with all the Bible-talk.

"I would have been glad to walk away, but he wouldn't let me," Blaine told Joe.

"And the Old Testament says, 'An eye for an eye'", Sam reminded Joe.

"I just wish the others hadn't been draw into it," Blaine said with a heavy sigh.

"There's nothing wrong with standing up for a friend," Sam said. "We would have done the same if we'd been there." He glanced at Joe, looking for his reaction.

Joe looked troubled, but nodded. "I would be a poor Christian if I did nothing to stop someone from being unfairly abused."

"Men," Tina said with a huff. They all seemed to think that a fist solved any problem. She turned her focus back to Blaine. "Are you going to be able to sing? You lip looks like really swollen."

"I'll be fine," Blaine said, smiling again for Tina's benefit. Her heart melted a little bit more. Blaine turned towards Sam. "How is Finn doing? It seems strange not to have him here anymore."

"He disappeared for a few days, but he's back and says he's going to start applying to schools to be a teacher," Sam replied. He glanced over at Marley who was sitting with Jake while chatting with Ryder and Kitty. "He said it was something Marley said to him."

"Teaching the next generation is noble profession," Joe said. "It's a shame that they don't get the recognition they deserve."

"Not all of them deserve it," Tina said. "Mrs. Crawley just writes the assignment on the board and reads a book while we do the work."

Their discussion on teacher's merits was dropped when Mr. Schue walked in and called their attention to the board. They were nearly a half hour into the class before Mr. Schue noticed Blaine's injuries.

"Blaine, are you okay? That didn't happen here at McKinley, did it?" Mr. Schue asked in concern. As if that really made any difference.

"No, sir. I was bowling with some friends," Blaine replied. He didn't seem inclined to expand on it, so Tina took it upon herself to make sure Mr. Schue knew that what had happened wasn't Blaine's fault.

"Some drunk started it," Tina said. She didn't know exactly what had led up to the fight, but she knew Blaine was too much a gentleman to start one. "The owner threw the man and his friends out. He even apologized to Blaine and the Warblers."

"You were bowling with the Warblers?" Mr. Schue asked. Tina realized that she'd slipped up, but wasn't sure how to recover. Of course, Blaine didn't seem fazed.

"They are still my friends," Blaine replied. "And with them being out of the competition, there isn't any chance that they'll steal our ideas this time."

"Of course, I didn't mean that you shouldn't spend time with them," Mr. Schue said. "How are they doing, after everything, I mean."

Blaine shrugged. "It'll be a while before the stigma is erased from the Warbler's name, but they're carrying on. Most will be graduating this year, so maybe next year's group will redeem their reputation."

Mr. Schue let it drop with a nod and they continued on with their practice. Tina was rather irritated that Marley seemed to be stepping into Rachel's lime-light hogging shoes and was debating the value of throwing a temper tantrum when she overheard Sam say that he'd heard that it had taken three of the drunk's friends to hold Sebastian back when Blaine had been attacked.

"Slushy-Warbler was there?" Tina snapped. Her tone was sharper than she had intended because of her irritation with Marley, but she didn't like Sebastian either. If Blaine had to be with someone, why couldn't he get back with Kurt? Even she could see that they belonged together. Sebastian was a train-wreck waiting to happen.

"I was there with my friends and Sebastian is my friend," Blaine replied evenly.

"No wonder the drunk was harassing you," Tina said. "Sebastian had probably already ticked him off somehow and you just got caught in the fall-out."

"Sebastian wasn't even there when the drunk started harassing me," Blaine objected. His brow furrowed slightly, a warning that he was irritated, but Tina wasn't going to let it go.

"Of course he wasn't," Tina said, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's just like him to stir the pot and then walk away." Why couldn't Blaine see what a danger this guy was?

"It wasn't like that, Tina," Blaine replied.

"None of the Warblers said anything about Sebastian starting trouble," Sam said in his defense. "They were there, so they would know."

"They didn't see the fight start either," Tina replied. When had Sam become Sebastian's champion? "For all they know, he set Blaine up so that he'd could play the knight in shining armor and save him. He just didn't expect Blaine to be able to defend himself so well."

"There is no reason for Sebastian to do anything of the sort," Blaine said, but Tina could tell that she'd planted a seed of doubt. "Besides, the owner said those guys were always causing problems."

"Guys, come on," Mr. Schue called out. "Nationals aren't going to be won by standing around talking."

Blaine couldn't help but mull over Tina's accusation concerning Sebastian. A year ago, he would have believed Sebastian capable of doing just that sort of thing. After examining the situation from every angle, though, he couldn't see how Sebastian could have profited from it. Besides, Sebastian had been with him the whole evening. There wasn't time for him to have talked to Blaine's assailant.

As usual, thinking of Sebastian brought back the memory of 'the kiss'. Blaine could easily become addicted to kisses like that. He still wasn't sure who had initiated it; perhaps it was just inevitable. After all, Sebastian made no secret that he wanted Blaine and Blaine admitted (at least to himself) that he's always had some level of attraction for Sebastian. But that kiss... that was more than just physical attraction, no matter how much Sebastian protested.

Blaine let out an exasperated breath. It didn't matter what he thought that kiss meant, Sebastian had made it clear that he wasn't interested in anything remotely resembling a relationship. Blaine would just reconcile himself to nothing more than friendship. He was smart enough to learn from his mistakes and trying to make something out of nothing only resulted in heart break. He wasn't going down that road again.

Blaine's reverie was broken when Tina began ranting at Mr. Schue about how it was her senior year and how she'd patiently waited for her chance in the spotlight, but that was being handed over to an underclassman who had passed out during Sectionals.

"I think she's channeling Rachel at her most diva," Artie said in an aside.

"She does have a point," Blaine said in support of his friend. "Marley will have plenty of chances to shine after we've graduated."

"We need to focus on what's best for Glee, not just one person," Artie said. "Tina is good, but Marley has more range."

"But is Marley ready for the pressure?" Sam said. He glanced around as if to make sure Marley didn't overhear him. He didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

"That's true," Blaine said. Marley was a sweet girl, but after Sectionals, no one was sure of her. "We don't want to push her into something she isn't ready for."

"And tank the competition again," Sam said.

Marley interrupted Tina's rant to throw her support behind Tina. Mr. Schue didn't seem to be listening to either of them as he continue to push for Marley to have the solo, or at least a duet with Blaine.

"Maybe Marley could sing a duet with Jake," Sam suggested with a questioning look at Blaine. "She might not be as nervous."

Blaine examined his feelings over that, but found he wasn't the least bit jealous. He might enjoy the spotlight, but he was more of a team player than that. "That's not a bad idea. Jake's good enough and he'd keep her from stressing too much."

"That doesn't solve the Tina-issue," Artie reminded them. "Maybe a group number where she gets the spot light?"

They mulled over different possibilities that they thought would work and then agreed that Artie would take their suggestions to Mr. Schue who was fighting a losing battle against the female population of Glee. Kitty and Unique had joined in, each fighting for their own chance to shine in the competition. Brittany was throwing in random comments that only added to the confusion.

"So, the Warblers went to the beach for spring break," Sam said once he and Blaine were alone in their corner of the room while everyone else argued different options for Nationals. "Guess that leaves you at loose ends. How about we have a Lord of the Rings marathon? The Hobbit just came out on DVD."

"Extended edition?" Blaine asked, interest peaked.

"All but The Hobbit," Sam replied and they did a fist-bump in agreement. "You want to do it at my place or yours? You know Finn will invite himself if we do mine." Which made sense since it was the Hummel's house.

Blaine liked the Hummel's better than his house, but there was one potential problem. "There isn't any chance that Kurt will be coming home, is there?"

"No, he already had Spring Break last week, or maybe the week before," Sam said with a frown as he tried to remember which. "Anyway, Finn was complaining that they didn't get off at the same time. I always thought everyone did the same week, but guess not."

"Is the movie anything like the book?" Joe asked. It was easy to forget that Joe was there; he was so quiet.

"You haven't seen it?" Sam and Blaine both asked in shock.

"I read the book, but haven't seen the movie," Joe replied. "I heard the same guy made The Hobbit movie as did The Lord of the Rings. He stayed close to the story for that one, so I was just wondering."

"Oh, dude, you should come over for the marathon," Sam said. He glanced at Blaine who nodded in agreement. "We can't let a fellow LOTR fan miss out."

Joe seemed surprised by the invitation and Blaine realized that they probably didn't really include him in much outside of Glee. "If it's not too much trouble," Joe said. "I would like to see it."

"So, where are we going to do this?" Sam asked, turning back to Blaine.

"Your place is better; the kitchen is closer to the TV," Blaine said with a grin.

"What's going on at Sam's place?" Artie asked as he rejoined them. The girls were now arguing with each other while Mr. Schue tried to referee. Jake and Ryder trailed behind Artie.

By the time Mr. Schue finally gave up and sent them all home, Sam had invited all the Glee guys to the marathon. Not all of them could make it the coming weekend though, so they agreed to put it off for a week so they all could be there.

"I can't believe Nick and Jeff finally got together," Blaine said in awe.

Trent nodded sagely. "It took us all by surprised. Personally, I think it was Sebastian that did it."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Blaine said. The Warblers had been back for a couple of days, but he hadn't seen Sebastian yet. Neither of them seemed inclined to initiate contact. Blaine wasn't sure if he should be relieved or irritated.

Trent laughed. "I'm not sure exactly what he said, but he pissed Nick off and the next thing we know, Nick and Jeff are together."

"He probably challenged Nick in some way," Blaine said wryly. "Everything is a competition between those two."

"Good thing is wasn't you Nick was so keen on," Trent said with a grin. "It would have ended with a duel at sunrise."

"I'm just as glad not to be the prize of some macho competition," Blaine said, rolling his eyes. "Sebastian was bad enough with Kurt. I can't imagine what he'd be like with Nick."

"Seemed like it was more than that," Trent said. "I can't see Sebastian jumping into a fight for anyone else."

"Sebastian isn't interested in anything but being friends," Blaine replied. He shrugged as if it didn't matter to him either way.

"And you? Is that all you want?" Trent asked. He was trying to sound casual, but Blaine could tell Trent was fishing for something.

Blaine thought about his answer before speaking. "He's made it clear that he'll never want a relationship. He'd probably be more than happy with friends-with-benefits, but I'm not going there."

Trent looked worried. "What if he did change his mind and want a relationship? Would you?"

Blaine narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure why Trent was pressing the issue. "Did Sebastian say something while you were at the beach?"

"Not exactly," Trent said. He played with his lapel nervously. "It was more the way he looked every time your name came up; like a kid thinking about his favorite toy."

Blaine huffed out a breath. "Favorite sex-toy, maybe," Blaine said and then quickly clarified. "Not that we've ever…"

Trent waved away the faltering explanation. "I know what he's like, but it's more than that. It's like…" He paused with a frown.

"Like what?" Blaine asked. Of them all, Trent was the most observant, so Blaine was curious what he might have noticed about Sebastian.

"You know, I didn't once see him hitting on anyone while we were at the beach," Trent said thoughtfully. "If fact, I haven't seen him after anyone at school lately either."

"That doesn't mean anything," Blaine objected, though he couldn't help but wonder. "Maybe he's already worked his way through the guys at school and there isn't anyone interesting left."

"You can't tell me that there weren't any interesting guys at the beach," Trent said. "I may not be inclined that way, but even I could see that."

"Maybe his standards are a little higher than surfer dudes," Blaine said with a shrug. He had no idea what to make of the idea that Sebastian wasn't out chasing every guy that looked his way.

"Maybe his standards are higher because he has someone he's comparing them all too," Trent said with a meaningful look.

Blaine shook his head. "That doesn't mean he's going to do anything about it, even if it is true."

"Maybe he is," Trent said coyly.

"You know something that you're not saying," Blaine said, slightly irritated, slightly curious. "What is it?"

Trent took a deep breath and then leaned forward slightly. "If I tell you, you can't tell Sebastian."

"Okay," Blaine replied, dragging the word out cautiously.

"Sebastian is going to sing at your Prom; something for you," Trent said conspiratorially.

"Why would he do that?" Blaine asked. Part of him wanted to believe it meant Sebastian was finally coming around, but there was a little voice in the back that pressed for caution.

Trent sat back with a shrug. "We were talking after Niff got together and it just kind of came up."

"How does Sebastian singing at my Prom just 'come up'?" Blaine asked.

"I may have talked him into it," Trent said. He looked worried as he waited for Blaine's response.

"What is he going to sing?" Blaine asked. The cautious voice became louder.

"Um, he didn't exactly say," Trent said. He didn't look as confident as before.

A red flag came out, but Blaine put on a fake smile for Trent's benefit. "Well, I'm sure it'll be good, whatever it is. Sebastian is a natural-born performer."

Trent breathed a sigh of relief that Blaine wasn't upset. "Yeah, he is that."

Blaine couldn't believe that Trent would think this would turn out well. Sebastian had most likely been talked into a corner and was planning something suitably outrageous as payback.

Well, forewarned was forearmed, as the saying went.

"You want to sing with us at the Prom?" Sam asked, puzzled by Sebastian's request. "Is this because the Warblers were disqualified from competing?"

"No, it's more along the lines of a dare," Sebastian replied.

"You're not planning to do something to embarrass us, are you?" Sam asked. "Cause if you are, there are going to be a lot more of us there, than you."

"Nothing embarrassing," Sebastian promised. "Just one song to prove to the Warblers that they can't get over on me."

"What does Blaine think about this?" Sam asked.

"I'd rather surprise him," Sebastian said. "Look, it's not going to be a big deal and you can veto any song that you don't like. It's not like I can change it at the last minute since you control the music."

Sam had to agree that Sebastian had a point about the music. He just had this gut feeling that there was something more going on.

"Who was the Warbler who made the dare?" Sam asked.

Sebastian hesitated for just a moment. "It was Trent," he said with an indifferent shrug.

Sam didn't know Trent all that well, but that was the last person he expected to make any sort of dare. "Why would Trent dare you to sing something at our Prom? What's really going on?"

Sebastian wore that expression that said he was trying to figure out how little he could get away with saying and still satisfy Sam.

"I can always call Trent and ask him," Sam said.

"No, don't do that," Sebastian snapped and then sighed in exasperation. "Fine, Trent has decided to play match-maker. Despite my best efforts at convincing him that Blaine and I are just friends, he thinks I should sing something for Blaine at Prom. I agreed just to get him off my back."

"So what song were you planning on doing?" Sam asked. He was still rather hesitant, but at least it made sense now.

"I was thinking 'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi." Sebastian said. "That will put Trent back in his place."

"That's not exactly romantic," Sam replied.

"As if I'm going to get up in front of a bunch of strangers and pour my heart out," Sebastian scoffed. "Blaine doesn't know about the dare, so he won't expect anything. Just tell him that I agreed to help out since I'm going to be there anyway. Trent won't have the nerve to say anything once it's over."

Sam frowned as he thought that through. It sounded harmless enough, but he still vacillated for moment before agreeing. "Okay, we'll need to practice though."

"That's why I came to you now," Sebastian replied. "Just tell me when and I'll be there."

"I'll talk to the music guys and get back to you." Sam hoped he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his high school career and considering that he'd been a stripper for several months the prior year, that was saying something.

For the first time since returning from the beach, Sebastian stopped by the Lima Bean on his way home. He automatically looked around and felt his mouth quirk in a smile when he saw Blaine studying in the corner. He bought two cups of coffee and set one in front of Blaine before taking the seat across from him.

"Sebastian!" Blaine's whole face brightened when he looked up and saw who it was. Sebastian's heart did a little flip-flop. Oh, how he liked that smile. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"It was just a spur of the moment decision. I can't say that I'm disappointed to find I won't have to drink alone though," Sebastian said, saluting Blaine with his cup.

Blaine laughed slightly. "And you brought me a fresh cup. How thoughtful."

"Seeing the mound of papers you have surrounding you, I thought yours would either be long gone or gone cold by now," Sebastian replied.

Blaine picked his old cup up and shook it slightly. "You're right, it's empty. Guess I hadn't noticed."

"Am I interrupting anything important?" Sebastian asked, motioning towards the books and papers.

Blaine gave a tired sigh. "No, not really. Just trying to make sure I don't get behind. With everything that is going on, I have to take advantage of any time I have free."

"Should I leave you to it?" Sebastian asked, half standing before Blaine waved him back down.

"No, I can use a break," Blaine replied. "How was the beach? We haven't really had a chance to talk since you got back?"

"Would have been better if I could have feed a few of the Warblers to the sharks," Sebastian replied with a grimace. "The scenery was excellent though." He leered slightly so that Blaine would understand what sort of scenery he was referring to.

"I heard that Nick and Jeff finally got together," Blaine said. "Trent said that he thought you might have had something to do with it."

Sebastian huffed derisively. "I may have made a few pointed remarks that finally pried Nick's ass off of his chair. If I'd realized the outcome, I'd have kept my mouth shut. Niff is so disgustingly sweet that I may need to move my routine dental appointment up a few months."

Blaine smiled into his coffee cup; the comment was so typical of Sebastian. "I think it's great that they finally got together. It's too bad that it's taken them so long though."

"Perhaps it's better that they waited so long," Sebastian said. When Blaine gave him a questioning look, he expanded on his comment. "This way, they'll graduate and move on before they have time for the honeymoon phase to wear thin. They'll go to different schools and gradually realize that the long-distance thing doesn't work, but they'll always have those few perfect memories." He gave Blaine a pointed look. "Isn't that what you romantics tell yourselves?"

"Sometimes, those few perfect memories are all that gets you through the rest of the times," Blaine said. He almost looked like he felt sorry for Sebastian, which set Sebastian's teeth on edge.

"Are you going to start quoting Steel Magnolias now, 'a few minutes of wonderful versus a lifetime of nothing special'" Sebastian scoffed.

"I'll take the 'few minutes' any day," Blaine said softly.

Sebastian was becoming entirely too uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. "Your face looks a lot better than the last time I saw you. Anyone give you any heartburn over that?"

"No, other than Tina claiming you are a bad influence," Blaine said without commenting on the abrupt change of subject. He gave Sebastian a teasing grin. "Of course, we both already knew that."

"Be careful or you'll ruin your innocent schoolboy image," Sebastian said with an answering smile. He enjoyed bantering with Blaine. "By the way, I hear that there is a picture of you from last year's prom without your hair cemented to your head. How much begging would I have to do to get a glimpse of that?"

Blaine buried his face in his arm on the table top. "I can't believe someone told you about that." He looked up, but his face was decided on the pink side. "Those pictures are hidden where no one can find them. I've left instructions behind that if anything ever happens to me, they're to be burned."

"Guess I'll just have to catch you coming out of the shower sometime so I can see for myself," Sebastian said. Unfortunately, the idea of seeing Blaine with nothing but a towel wrapped around him (or less) was having some repercussions that Sebastian wasn't able to deal with while sitting at a table in a coffee shop.

"You're incorrigible," Blaine accused, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

"It's your fault for being so enticing," Sebastian replied. "How's a guy supposed to resist when that body just begs to be worshipped properly?"

Blaine swallowed and answered just a touch breathlessly. "I don't think second dates include showers." Then he seemed to reconsider his response. "That is, if you consider escorting me to Prom as a date."

"If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…," Sebastian said with an indifferent shrug and then grinned suggestively. "Maybe if we add a few more dates in between? Seeing you in nothing but a towel would definitely be a memory I'd treasure for the rest of my life."

Blaine took a deep breath, but when he faced Sebastian, he was no longer flirting. "I made the mistake of thinking I could do casual sex before; once with someone I didn't know and once with someone I cared about deeply. I won't do that to myself again."

Sebastian's heart started pounding in his chest. "I wouldn't make anyone a good boyfriend. You'd end up hating me in the end."

"You don't know that," Blaine said. "I'm not asking for a ring and a life-time promise, just that you take a chance. It could be something wonderful."

Sebastian couldn't bare the pleading look in Blaine's eyes and looked away. "You believe in love and romance and all that stuff that they promised you in fairy tales." Sebastian forced himself to look back. "I don't believe any of that exists."

Blaine's gaze softened just a bit. Sebastian wasn't sure if it was pity or something else. "Then we'll just be friends. You'll keep making inappropriate remarks which I'll keep turning down and the sun will rise tomorrow and the world will keep turning."

Sebastian let out a relieved breath, but was slightly disappointed at the same time. "You'll find the right man one day and forget all about me."

"Maybe I find someone else, but I'll never forget you," Blaine said with a sad sort of smile. "And I'll always wonder if we missed out on something special." He sighed heavily. "I hope someday someone pushes you out of your comfort zone so you find out what you're missing. I'm just sorry it wasn't me."

Sebastian had no response to that. "I guess I should let you get back to work. Wouldn't want you to fall behind and miss graduating."

"I don't think there's any danger of that," Blaine said with a wry smile. "But I guess I should get finished before the rush comes in and they need the table. I can only drink so many cups of coffee."

Sebastian finished his coffee and stood to leave. "If you want to skip Prom, I'd understand."

"You're not getting out of our 'date' that easily," Blaine replied with a genuine smile.

Sebastian nodded, relieved that Blaine wasn't going to push for more than Sebastian was willing to give. He left Blaine to his school work and headed home to do his own. He was in the middle of his English assignment when his phone indicated he had a text. Seeing that it was from Blaine, he opened the window to read.

B: 'The Glee guys are having a LOTR marathon this weekend, including The Hobbit. Want to come?'

S: 'I'm not sure that the Glee guys would want me around.'

B: 'It's at Sam's. He says it's fine. Besides, he says you're helping with Prom. You should come.'

Sebastian had suspected that Evans wouldn't keep quiet about him singing at Prom, but at least he'd kept to the reason Sebastian had suggested. Sebastian did not want to ruin Blaine's prom by singing one thing when Blaine was expecting something entirely different.

S: 'Does this count as a date? I'm still thinking about that shower scene…'

B: 'What if I promise not to use product for the marathon? ;-)'

S: 'Did you just wink at me? You cheeky devil!'

B: 'Have you been watching Downton Abbey?'

S: 'I'll take the Fifth on that question.' Sebastian grinned to himself. He'd been a little worried that his friendship with Blaine might become awkward after their discussion at the coffee shop.

B: 'We spent the week in Glee telling each other our guiltiest secrets. You should try it, it's freeing.'

S: 'So glad I didn't switch schools.'

B: 'Fine, be that way. I'll get it out of you eventually.'

S: 'I'm sure you can get me admit to any number of things, especially sporting nothing but a towel and damp skin from a shower...'

B: 'No shower scene. How about the marathon?'

S: 'You've promised a product free evening. Looking forward to it.'

B: 'If anyone runs away in horror, it's all your fault.'

B: 'It usually is.' They spent the next few minutes texting about logistics and if Sebastian should bring anything, before signing off and returning to their school work.

Sebastian hummed a little tune under his breath while grinning every time he thought about Blaine and their upcoming non-date. Even the fact that the rest of the New Directions' guys would be there couldn't dampen his spirits.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why aren't the girls invited?" Tina protested, her arms crossed over her chest. Blaine wasn't sure why Tina was being so obstinate about this; she didn't even like The Lord of the Rings.

"You girls do stuff that we aren't invited to," Artie reminded her. "Besides, there isn't enough room for the whole Glee club in the Hummel's living room."

"I can't go anyway," Brittany said. "Lord Tubbington has his AA meeting."

"I think it's great that the guys are having a bonding day," Marley said with a smile for Jake.

"It's a movie marathon, not a 'bonding day'," Sam corrected.

Blaine didn't say anything, just shrugged when Sam look at him for support. He wouldn't turn away any of the girls if they felt that strongly about it, but it was Sam's house.

"Are all of you going?" Tina asked, looking at each of the guys in turn.

"Yes, that's eight of us already. It's going to be crowded enough without adding six more," Sam said.

"Eight?" Tina glanced around the room. "There are only six of you." She glanced at Unique who shook her head; she was counted as one of the girls for this.

"You forget that Finn lives there too," Sam said.

"That's still only seven," Tina said with narrowed eyes.

Sam opened his mouth to answer and then glanced at Blaine, unsure of what to say. As Tina turned her unwavering gaze on each of the guys, they all looked at Blaine.

"I invited Sebastian," Blaine finally said in exasperation. Why couldn't Tina just let things go? It really wasn't any of her business and he didn't want another lecture on how evil Sebastian was.

"You invited Slushy-Warbler to Kurt's house? Are you insane?" Tina snapped. "Are you trying to ruin things permanently between you?"

"There isn't anything to ruin," Blaine said. He was rather embarrassed to be having this conversation in front of everyone. Where was Mr. Schue when Blaine actually could use an interruption? "And Burt said it was fine. He trusts my judgment." There was a subtle dig there, but it seemed to go right over Tina's head.

"What's the problem with Sebastian? He's going to help us out at Prom so we don't have to do so many sets ourselves. I don't see why he shouldn't hang out with us," Ryder said.

Blaine winced as Tina's mouth fell open in shock. Ryder looked confused at Tina's reaction and then shot Blaine an apologetic look. Sam had enlisted Joe and Ryder's help with the songs that Sebastian was covering, but the younger guys didn't know the full situation.

"Sebastian is singing at our Prom?" Tina said, enunciating each word carefully. "We'll see about that."

Mr. Schue finally walked in and, for once, seemed to sense that something was amiss. "Is there a problem, guys?"

"I'll say there's a problem," Tina snapped, still glaring at Blaine. She turned towards Mr. Schue with a toss of her head. "Did you know about Sebastian Warbler singing at our Prom?"

"Uh, no," Mr. Schue replied hesitantly. He glanced at the three senior boys. "Is this true, guys?"

"He's Blaine's date and offered to help us out," Sam said. "Since you let Blaine help us out when he was going to Dalton, we didn't think it would be a problem."

"That's true," Mr. Schue said. He glanced around the room as if trying to figure out why this was issue before committing himself one way or the other. "Why is this a problem, Tina? It's just Prom, not a competition."

Tina dropped her arms in exasperation. "Have you all forgotten what he's done to us? To Blaine?" She went on to list Sebastian's many crimes, only running out of steam when Mr. Schue raised a hand so that he could a word in edgewise.

"Does anyone else have a problem with Sebastian singing with us at Prom?" Mr. Schue asked. The younger Glee members just shrugged as they hadn't even been in Glee when most of the things Tina mentioned had happened.

"I say that if Blaine is willing to let bygones be bygones, then gone they be," Artie said solemnly.

Sam and Blaine both nodded.

"I like to listen to the pretty bird sing," Brittany said. Several people looked at her with confused expressions, but no one questioned her comment.

"It seems like you're the only one who is against this," Mr. Schue said to Tina. "I agree with Artie; if Blaine thinks Sebastian deserves another chance and he's going to be there anyway, then I don't see a problem."

Tina clenched her teeth together. "I can see I'm outnumbered."

Mr. Schue turned towards the board, forgetting the incident while everyone took their seats. Tina glared at Blaine and mouthed, "This isn't over."

Burt puttered around the kitchen, putting away the few remains from the boys' earlier raid. They were well into the second movie in the trilogy now, which he'd already seen, so he left them to it. Carol had wisely decided to take a shopping trip with her friends so that she didn't have to deal with them. Burt thought he might meet some of the guys for a drink later, but was content just to hang around the house for now. Kurt's friends had never been as rowdy as Finn and Sam's, but Burt was more at ease with the boisterous group of boys than the girls that Kurt tended to hang out with.

The front door slammed, catching Burt's attention. He couldn't imagine why any of the boys would be leaving in the middle of the movie and Carol never slammed doors. A moment later, a raised voice answered the question.

"What is he doing here?" Kurt yelled from the living room. "Get out of my house. Now. Get out."

By the time Burt made it to the living room, Kurt was in a faceoff with Finn and Sam while Blaine was edging towards the front door with Sebastian.

"What's going on in here?" Burt's bellow put a momentary end to the shouting, but then the boys all turned towards him, speaking at once. Burt couldn't make heads nor tails out what was being said, though he had a good idea. Blaine had forewarned him that Kurt wouldn't like Sebastian being there and had wanted to make sure it was okay before he invited him. Burt figured it was up to the boys to work these things out for themselves and left it to Sam and Finn to decide who they wanted in the house. He supported their decision.

"Enough!" Burt yelled over the boys. Everyone fell silent. Burt pointed at Blaine and Sebastian who had frozen by the front door. "You two, sit down and watch the movie." He pointed at Kurt. "You, in the kitchen."

"But, Dad," Kurt protested. His wore that expression that kids only give their parents when they aren't getting their way and feel terribly put-upon.

"Kitchen, now," Burt said. He waited just a moment to make sure everyone else was seated and watching the move before heading to the kitchen after Kurt.

"You want to explain what that was all about?" Burt asked, taking a seat at the kitchen island. "For that matter, what are you even doing here?"

"I can't come home for a visit without being grilled like some sort of criminal?" Kurt asked, raising his chin with a set jaw.

"You're welcome here any time you want," Burt said, relenting just a little. He knew his son well enough to realize he wouldn't get anywhere if Kurt was defensive. "But that doesn't explain why you're here, without letting anyone know you were coming on the one weekend that Blaine is here with his friend that I'm given to understand you don't like very much."

Kurt answered angrily. "If you know so much about it, then why would you let that… that _person_ into our home? He nearly blinded Blaine last year with a slushy – that was meant for me, I might add. He stole our song list for Sectionals and then this year, he stole our trophy in some lame attempt to get Blaine to transfer back to Dalton and then he and the rest of the Warblers cheated against New Directions to win Sectionals." Kurt had his most obstinate face on and Burt debated how best to get his son to see reason.

"Yes, I'm well aware of all that, but if Finn and Sam don't have a problem with the boy, then I don't see any reason why I should. Last time I checked, you were living in New York and, if you were still there, this wouldn't be an issue." Burt knew there was more to this than what Kurt was saying, not to mention that it was entirely too coincidental that Kurt would choose to come home this weekend.

"So I have to get permission to come home now?" Kurt snapped.

"Kurt, you should know better than try to twist my words around," Burt said. He could be just as obstinate as his son when the occasion called for it. "You're an amateur when it comes to the Washington politicians that I work with all week."

Kurt huffed in irritation.

"You want to tell me what this is really about?" Burt asked. He always preferred the straight-forward approach.

Kurt squirmed just a bit, not quite meeting Burt's eyes. "Sebastian has done nothing but try to break Blaine and I up since they met. He's probably out there rejoicing that he gets to rub my nose in the fact that he's finally won," Kurt said.

Burt never claimed to be the brightest bulb when it came to relationships, but it finally dawned on him that Kurt was jealous. So jealous that he'd spent money he couldn't afford to come home and confront his ex and the guy he thought was replacing him in Blaine's life. Burt wished Carol hadn't left. This was much more in her wheelhouse than his. He had to give it his best shot though.

"The way I understand it, they're just friends." Burt held up a hand to stop Kurt from jumping in. "Whether that is the case or not is none of my business…and it's not yours either. You gave up that right when you started dating someone else."

Kurt looked rebellious. "I wouldn't be dating someone else if Blaine hadn't cheated on me. For all I know, it was with that…" Kurt fumed as words failed him.

"Do you really believe that?" Burt asked gently. There was no way he would believe that Blaine - a gentleman to his core – would bring the man he'd cheated on Kurt with to Kurt's house under the guise of 'a friend'.

Kurt looked slightly abased. "He said it wasn't, but… that still doesn't explain why they are together. Blaine knows how I feel about Sebastian Smyth." Burt could tell that there were a few other names that Kurt would rather call the boy, but he wasn't going to use them in front of his father.

"Son, you know I love you, but your feelings don't mean a hill of beans in this situation," Burt said. He hated being so blunt with Kurt, but there were times that Kurt needed to be reminded that the world did not revolve around him. "I had hoped that you and Blaine could work things out, but from what I hear, that's not going to happen. You've moved on with this Adam guy. You need to give Blaine the same courtesy – even if you don't like the guy he picks."

Kurt jerked his head to one side and blinked back tears. Burt hated that things had come to this, but it was time for his little boy to man up and face the situation realistically. Sometimes, that wasn't easy.

"I really have lost him, haven't I?" Kurt said with a sniffle.

Burt sighed sadly. Heartbreak was part of growing up but that didn't mean he didn't wish he could save his son from it. "You've been pushing him away since he admitted he cheated on you, son. Eventually, he was bound to quit trying."

Kurt looked down at his hands. "I kept thinking that it would change once he was in New York. That once we were in the same place, things could go back to the way they were."

Burt wanted to tell him that life didn't work that way, but that was one of those lessons you learn by living it. "What were you going to do about that Adam guy when Blaine got there?" Burt was fairly sure that Kurt hadn't really thought this through. When Kurt shrugged, he knew he was right.

"I just wanted someone to help me forget for a while," Kurt admitted in a small voice. "I didn't expect to like him so much."

"He seemed like a decent enough fellow," Burt said. He'd only met Adam once but he seemed to treat Kurt well and that was all that mattered to Burt.

Kurt sighed and dabbed at his eyes. "What am I going to do about Blaine? I made a fool of myself in there, didn't I?"

"An apology is always a good place to start when you in the wrong," Burt suggested. "Want me to send Blaine in here?"

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "No, ask Sebastian if he'd come." He raised his chin slightly. "If I'm going to do this, I might as well get the most difficult one out of the way first."

Burt nodded in surprise. He hadn't expected Kurt to want to apologize to Sebastian at all. It might be a good idea if he stayed close to the door in case things went south between those two.

Kurt splashed some water on his face while his father went to get Sebastian. He had no idea what he was going to say to his long-time rival, but it was time they had this out. He was smart enough to realize that there was no way he could patch things up between him and Blaine – whether that meant just friends or at least not at each other's throats when they saw each other – until he came to some sort of resolution with Sebastian.

"That was quite a show you put on out there," Sebastian drawled as he walked into the kitchen and leaned against a cabinet with his arms crossed over his chest. "Is it time for round two – no witnesses this time?"

Kurt clenched his teeth. He had no idea what Blaine saw in this guy, but he had to try to keep his temper under control. "I wanted to apologize. You're a guest and I had no right to try to throw you out, despite my personal feelings on the matter."

"Wow, I bet that really hurt," Sebastian said.

Kurt wanted to smack the grin off his face. "You have no idea," he said. "I also realize that while I may hate you with every fiber of my being, I have no claim on Blaine any longer – either in who he is friends with or who he dates."

"Careful, Hummel. Keep it up and I'll think you actually like me."

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" Kurt snapped. Why had he even tried?

"After what you've put Blaine through, not a chance," Sebastian said cheerfully.

"What I put Blaine through?" Kurt repeated incredulously. "He cheated on me, not the other way around."

"And you've been beating him over the head with that ever since," Sebastian said. "If I had been in Blaine's place, I would have held my tongue not flown to New York to confess my crimes."

"I don't doubt that for a minute," Kurt said dryly. "I was surprised that it wasn't your bed he ended up in."

Sebastian shook his head sadly. "I was rather disappointed about that myself." He shrugged. "But then again, I doubt he would have forgiven me for that and then you and I wouldn't be standing here having this oh-so-pleasant conversation now."

For the first time, Kurt actually believed that it hadn't been Sebastian that Blaine had cheated with. He had wanted to believe Blaine, but there had always been this slight doubt that wouldn't go away. He had no doubt that Sebastian would have rubbed his face in it if it had been him though.

"Why Blaine?" Kurt asked. It was the one thing that he had never understood. "You chase every guy that so much as glances your direction, why this obsession with Blaine?"

"Because he's Blaine," Sebastian said, as if that should explain it. Maybe it did.

"If you're doing this just too even some score…" Kurt started to say, but Sebastian chuckled darkly.

"Give Blaine some credit. He's already thought of all my possible less-than-honorable intentions. He's willing to give me another chance and I'm not going to blow it over some misguided attempt at revenge over something that was my fault to begin with."

Kurt wasn't entirely convinced, but Sebastian did talk a good game. "He keeps telling me that you're just friends. Is that all it is, or was he just trying to save my feelings?"

Sebastian smiled slowly and Kurt wanted to smack the grin off his face again. "I think it'll be much more satisfying to just leave that answer to your imagination."

"You don't deserve him," Kurt growled. He hated the idea of Sebastian ever being that close to Blaine. "You can only keep up this 'good boy' routine for so long before he sees through it."

"And here I thought you didn't care," Sebastian said. "Are we about finished with this mutual admiration meeting?"

"More than finished," Kurt replied. If looks could kill, Sebastian would be laying on the floor instead of walking out of the room, entirely too satisfied with himself.

Blaine watched anxiously as Sebastian slid to the floor in front of the chair Blaine was sitting in.

"I don't see any blood," Blaine said, only half-joking as he leaned forward so he wouldn't disturb the others who were trying to watch the movie – or overhear the conversation while pretending to watch the movie.

"Mother always told me to use my words, not my fist," Sebastian replied. "Besides, I doubt Hummel would risk his manicure by hitting someone."

Blaine rolled his eyes, but was relieved that they'd done nothing more than insult each other. "If you want to go, I'll understand."

"It's your call," Sebastian said. "I've already been through the gauntlet."

Blaine glanced towards the kitchen. "I should talk to him first." He had no idea what he would say, but they needed some sort of closure. "Do you mind?"

"If you're not back in ten, should I send in a rescue?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine chuckled nervously. "Make it fifteen… or the first sounds of objects being thrown. Carol would be upset if her good china or crystal were broken."

Sebastian nodded, but grabbed Blaine's hand before he could stand. "Remember, you did nothing wrong. You were invited here."

Blaine squeezed Sebastian's hand slightly with a reassuring smile. "Thanks."

Kurt looked up in surprise when Blaine walked into the kitchen and took the seat across from him. Neither of them seemed to be sure of what to say and several moments of uneasy silence followed.

"If our being here is making you uncomfortable, we can leave," Blaine offered.

"You say that so easily, 'we' – meaning you and Sebastian," Kurt replied. He waved away Blaine immediate attempt at an apology. "When I heard that you were bringing him here, all I could think about was how much he's hurt you in the past and how I had to protect you from that."

Kurt held up a hand when Blaine started to interrupt. "Just, let me get this out. Please?"

Blaine nodded. It was Kurt's house, after all.

"I doubt I'll ever be able to trust him, and it's even less likely that I'll ever like him, but I have no right to tell you who you can be friends with."

"Kurt…" Blaine tried to interrupt, but Kurt held a hand up to stop him again.

"I've been so busy trying to keep you at a distance to protect myself that I've forgotten how to be your friend." Kurt said. He looked away and Blaine could see the tears in his eyes.

Blaine swallowed hard, fighting back his own tears.

Kurt finally turned to face him, stealing himself for what he was going to say. "Do you think that there is any way that we can be friends again?"

"I don't know how to go from being everything to each other to just being friends," Blaine said. If Sebastian had taught him anything, it was honesty, even if it hurt. "Even when I said I was okay with it, I kept hoping for more."

Kurt fiddled with his fingers nervously. "Are you still coming to New York after graduation?"

"I think I'll be going to Los Angeles, with Cooper. Even if I don't get into CalArts, I can get a job and try again later. Maybe Cooper can use one of those connections he's always bragging about." Blaine had wanted to go to New York only because Kurt was there. He needed to let that dream go and do what was best for him.

Kurt blinked back tears. "You're giving up on us," he accused. "Is it because of Sebastian?"

Blaine sighed heavily. "Not in the way you mean. He's helped me come to terms with things, but that's all."

"I'm sure he has," Kurt said snidely.

Blaine knew Kurt was reacting badly because he was upset. He wanted to reach out and cover Kurt's hand with his own, but refrained. It wasn't easy for either of them to give up on what they'd had, but it was time. "Kurt, I think the only thing that will help either of us now is time and distance. Maybe someday, we'll run into each other somewhere and we'll be glad to see each other again. We'll stop and catch up on we've been doing and be happy for each other, not hurt and resentful."

"You know, I never meant to hurt you with Adam," Kurt said softly. "I just liked the attention; it wasn't supposed to go anywhere."

A small part of Blaine wanted to tell Kurt to just leave Adam and that they could be together again, but the rational part of him knew that wasn't the answer. Too much had happened for them to go back now. "Maybe you should give him a chance. Even Santana thinks he's a nice guy."

"You're giving me relationship advice now?" Kurt asked. He sounded surprised crossed with curious.

Blaine shrugged. "I want you to be happy, Kurt, even if it hurts sometimes to think that it's not going to be with me."

Kurt looked away and frowned slightly. "I'll never be happy for you if that means you're with Sebastian."

There wasn't any point in telling Kurt that he and Sebastian weren't together. If he didn't believe it by now, nothing was going to change his mind. Besides, who knew what sort of ideas Sebastian had planted in his head while he was in here.

"Can you at least wish me well in Los Angeles? I'll probably need all the good thoughts I can get when dealing with Cooper," Blaine asked with an attempt at a smile.

Kurt relaxed slightly. "Just remember to point and raise your voice, so he'll know when you're serious."

They both laughed, a bit stiffly, but a laugh all the same.

Kurt stood with a sniffle and a small smile. "I'd better find my dad, since he is the official reason I'm here." He paused at the kitchen door to give Blaine one last look before disappearing through the doorway.

Blaine stayed where he was, trying to regroup before returning to the living room and his friends. Breaking the last tie to Kurt had hurt and left him a little shaken. He knew it was for the best, but at the same time wanted to run after Kurt and beg him to reconsider.

"Hey, everything okay in here?" Sam asked, poking his head around the doorway before coming all the way into the kitchen. "I saw Kurt head upstairs and got worried when you didn't come back."

"I'm fine," Blaine replied, managing a weak smile.

"Yeah, and that smile is really convincing," Sam said. He pulled a couple of sodas from the frig and handed one to Blaine before leaning on the counter across from him. "Just call me Sam the bartender. People tell their bartender all their problems, right?"

Blaine laughed slightly at his ridiculous friend. "That's what I hear, though I haven't exactly had a lot of experience with bars."

"Well, pull up a stool and tell Sam all about it," Sam said. He even found a rag so that he could pretend to wipe down the counter.

"Well, I just told my ex that I didn't see any future for us," Blaine said, "and that I'm going to Los Angelos after graduation."

"How'd he take it?" Sam asked.

"He wasn't happy, especially since he thinks something is going on between me and Sebastian," Blaine said. "We stayed civil though, so that's something."

"You going to be okay?" Sam asked.

Blaine thought about it a moment and then shrugged. "I guess so." There were plenty of things coming up to keep him too busy to dwell on it. "It's not like it's a big surprise. It's been coming for a while now."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," Sam said. He motioned towards the living room. "You ready to go back in? Don't want to miss the Ents taking out Isengard."

Blaine chuckled and waved for Sam to lead the way.

When Blaine returned, Sebastian had taken his chair. Sebastian offered to share, but Blaine opted to sit on the floor in front of him instead. He could feel Sebastian occasionally wind a finger through an ungelled curl and smiled to himself. Blaine leaned back and let Sebastian play with his hair without comment. It was a comforting feeling.

Maybe he should ditch the gel more often; at least when Sebastian was around.


	9. Chapter 9

Sebastian kept quiet as Blaine drove them back to Sebastian's house after the movie marathon. Blaine seemed lost in his thoughts and Sebastian was almost afraid to ask what he and Kurt had talked about. He didn't think they were back together since Kurt had not come back to the living room with Blaine, but they may have decided to try again after graduation which was only a few short weeks away. Sebastian had no idea how he fit into Blaine's life now, something he wasn't use to caring about. It was an unsettling feeling.

The car slowed and turned into the long winding driveway that led to the house much sooner than Sebastian wanted. He didn't want Blaine to drive away without knowing where he stood, but he didn't know how to ask without sounding needy and desperate, something he refused to admit to.

"Sebastian? Are you okay?" Blaine asked after putting the car into park and turning to face his passenger.

"I was wondering the same thing about you," Sebastian said. "You've been rather quiet since we left the Hummel's."

Blaine laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess I have. Just thinking I guess."

"About Kurt?" Sebastian asked. It wasn't an unreasonable question, even if it wasn't what he really wanted to ask.

Blaine shrugged with a sigh. "Kind of, but not really."

"That's clear," Sebastian said with just a touch of sarcasm.

Blaine chuckled ruefully and looked down at his hands. "Haven't quite made sense of it myself." Blaine shook his head while running a hand through his hair. "I had all these plans for after graduation and now, I don't really know what I'm going to do."

"No New York?" Sebastian asked, almost holding his breath as he waiting for the answer.

"Los Angeles, I guess," Blaine replied. He didn't sound too sure.

"Having second thoughts about living with your brother?" Sebastian asked. He was only slightly relieved. Blaine hadn't exactly discounted New York yet.

"Always," Blaine said with a chuckle. "Cooper is… an acquired taste."

"You don't have to live with your brother," Sebastian said. "There are other options."

"I guess," Blaine said. He leaned his head back against the seat. "I just wish I knew... What if I get into NYADA, but not CalArts? I can't really go to Los Angeles and mooch off of Cooper when I don't have any real plans to go to school there."

"You should hear something soon," Sebastian replied. He wished he had a better answer, but he hadn't heard from any of his colleges yet either. "You'll know for sure about college before graduation, so try not to worry about it until you have all the facts."

Blaine turned towards Sebastian with a smile. "I wish I had your confidence. Nothing ever seems to get to you."

Nothing could be further from the truth, but Sebastian had spent his whole life hiding that from everyone. Bravado was second nature to him.

"I just chose not to concern myself with things I can't do anything about," Sebastian said. He put an arm over the back of the seat and let one of Blaine's curls wind around his finger. "The things I can do something about, I go after until I get what I want."

Blaine didn't respond for a long moment, neither encouraging nor discouraging Sebastian. Sebastian wished he could tell what Blaine was thinking.

"Time is getting short," Blaine finally said, a bit wistfully. "Graduation is only a few weeks away and then where will we be?"

Sebastian's heart skipped a beat. "Where do you want us to be?" A part of him was afraid of the answer and a part of him wanted Blaine too much to care.

Blaine reached out and put his finger against Sebastian's cheek, drawing a soft line towards his chin. "Even that first day, there was just something about you. No matter how many times I've walked away, I always seem to come back. Ever wonder why that is?"

"Maybe the same reason that I keep chasing you," Sebastian said, letting just a little bit of honesty escape. He leaned in until their faces were only inches apart. "Stay with me tonight," he whispered.

"I don't want to be just another notch on your bed post," Blaine said. His breath puffed softly against Sebastian's lips.

"You could never be that," Sebastian said. Honesty seemed to have taken the steering wheel for the moment.

"Then what am I?" Blaine asked.

Sebastian swallowed hard. He knew what Blaine wanted and wished he could give it to him. He was honest enough with himself to know that he'd only manage to screw it up though. "Do we have to put labels on this?"

Blaine pulled back slightly as he thought that over for a few long moments. "A label, no. But I need to know that you're not going to turn around and start chasing another guy as soon as the sheets are cold."

Sebastian gave a surprised laugh at Blaine's phrasing. "You want a promise of fidelity?" It was as much as statement as a question.

Blaine's expression closed. "You don't think I can do it."

Which was the farthest thing from Sebastian's mind. He tightened his hold on the back of Blaine's neck. "Everyone makes mistakes. You need to stop beating yourself up over yours."

Blaine blinked a couple of times and then smiled slightly. "And you need to stop worrying about the ones you haven't even made yet."

Sebastian chuckled ruefully this time. "We make quite a pair, don't we?"

Blaine nodded with a slight laugh of his own. "We only have a few weeks until graduation. I won't hold you to any promises after that. The long distance thing just doesn't work."

Sebastian realized that he might never get another chance to make Blaine his. Surely, even he could manage a few weeks without screwing things up. "A promise to be faithful as long as we're living in the same city?"

Blaine nodded. "That's all I'm asking for."

"I'll give it my best shot," Sebastian said. His heart was pounding. He leaned in again, not quite touching Blaine lips with his own. "Will you stay?"

The answer was a gently brush of Blaine's lips against his.

The sun was just starting to lighten the room when Blaine woke and stretched languidly under the warms covers. He smiled slightly when Sebastian tightened his hold, pulling Blaine back against his chest without really waking. Waking with a naked Sebastian wrapped around him was something that Blaine thought he could easily get used to. Kurt wasn't the type to sleep without clothing, even after they'd made love, but Blaine rather enjoyed it.

As he lay there, somewhere between not-quite-awake and almost-asleep, Blaine's phone began to play Kurt's ring tone. He came completely awake with a start.

"Who would be calling at this ungodly hour?" Sebastian complained.

"Nobody, unless it was important," Blaine said, slightly concerned. Kurt wasn't exactly a morning person either.

Sebastian made a sound of exasperation as Blaine slid out of the bed to fish around in the pile of discarded clothes for his phone.

The phone went to voice mail before Blaine managed to extricate it. He double-checked, even though he knew it was Kurt that had called. He debated calling back, but before he could make up his mind, the incoming text indicator chimed.

Sam: 'Call, important.'

"It's Sam," Blaine said, frowning slightly as worry began to settle in. "I need to call him. Something is going on."

Sebastian nodded. "I'll be in the bathroom," he said and then disappeared into the adjoining room.

Sam answered on the second ring.

"Hey, it's Blaine. What's going on?"

"Blaine, thanks for calling back," Sam said in a rush. "Kurt tried to call, but thought maybe you were ignoring his call, so he asked me to send a text."

"Yeah, I didn't get to the phone in time," Blaine said. "Did something happen?"

"Uh, yeah, Burt wasn't feeling so great this morning. Carol called 911 and we're all on the way to the hospital now," Sam said.

"How bad is it?" Blaine asked. Sebastian came back out and sat next to him. Blaine leaned back into him.

"Don't really know yet. Burt was still awake when the ambulance came, saying he didn't need to go the hospital, but Carol insisted," Sam said. He sounded rather flustered. "Here, Kurt wants to talk to you."

"Blaine? I know what we talked about last night, but I thought you'd want to know…" Kurt trailed off uncertainly.

"Of course, I want to know," Blaine said. "Do you need anything? Do you want me to come to the hospital?"

"Would you?" Kurt asked, his voice sounded so young and vulnerable. "Finn and Sam are here, but, if it's not too much trouble…?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Blaine promised. He disconnected the call and took a deep breath to calm his own racing heart. It didn't sound serious, but with all the radiation, chemo and previous heart problems, there was no telling really.

"Someone hurt?" Sebastian asked.

"Burt. They're taking him to the hospital." Blaine began to pull his clothes off the floor, grimacing as he realized the state they were in. It would take time to go by his house to change first though.

"Why don't you get a quick shower," Sebastian suggested. "I'll get your clothes sorted."

Blaine realized Sebastian was right about the shower. He gave Sebastian a quick kiss and a small smile. "Thanks."

It was probably the fastest shower Blaine had ever taken, just enough so that he didn't smell like he'd spent the night having sex. Afterwards, he didn't do anything more to his hair than towel drying. He'd probably look like Medusa, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

"Can't do anything about the pants, but here's a clean shirt and a hoodie that should work," Sebastian said. He'd pulled Blaine's jeans and shoes out of the pile and laid them on the bed along with the clean clothes.

"I'm sorry about this," Blaine said as he pulled the clothes on. "If I don't go, I'll just worry until someone calls."

Sebastian shrugged. "You do what you have to do. Let me know when you find out something for sure."

Blaine pulled on the t-shirt and then the hoodie, which was a little on the large size. As soon as he was dressed, he gave Sebastian another quick kiss and then rushed out to his car. He didn't give a second thought about what he was doing, he just went.

Sebastian wasn't used to being at loose ends. He tried to get some school work done, but thoughts of Blaine kept distracting him. Last night had been so much more than he had imagined. He was used to great sex, but with Blaine it was… there weren't even words to describe it. It was actually a bit unsettling how much he wanted Blaine to come back so that they could pick up where they'd left off when they'd finally fallen into an exhausted sleep.

Waking up with a hot, naked man in his bed had been something else he hadn't expected to enjoy so much. He had never spent the night with any of his conquests before; never been interested in it. Of course, Blaine had to be the exception.

The only bad point had been the call from Hummel this morning. Sebastian tried to understand - he really did - but having your lover leap out of your bed to help his ex was a little disconcerting. He had never liked being second best to Hummel and it didn't seem like it was ever going to change.

It had been difficult enough for Sebastian to let his walls down enough to admit that Blaine meant so much to him, but this was making him second-guess his decision. Morning passed into afternoon without any word from Blaine. Sebastian's doubts gnawed at him until he was convinced that Blaine and Kurt had made up and now Blaine was trying to come up with some way to break the news to him.

Afternoon faded into evening and Sebastian was becoming angry with himself for ever letting a guy get to him this way. No man was worth this much uncertainty and self-doubt. This was why he didn't do relationships to begin with.

When Blaine finally called, it was only to tell Sebastian that he was exhausted and was crashing at home. The hospital didn't think that Burt was in any immediate danger, but his blood pressure was way too high so they were keeping him overnight. Blaine planned to go back to the hospital first thing in the morning, in case the family needed anything.

Sebastian made a few monosyllabic acknowledgements to Blaine's explanation. He hadn't really expected anything else. When Blaine disconnected the call, Sebastian stared at the phone for a few long moments, contemplating the situation he found himself in. He'd known it wouldn't last, but this wasn't the way he'd expected it to fall apart. He should never have let Blaine get to him this way. It just wasn't worth the pain he felt at being abandoned.

Pushing his books away, Sebastian decided it was time to go out and find his own kind of fun.

Blaine wasn't sure that his back would ever be the same after all the hours he'd spent sitting in the uncomfortable hospital chairs. He felt like he'd barely put his head on the pillow last night when his alarm had gone off, letting him know visiting hours were coming up. He managed to stumble through his shower, but didn't feel much more awake afterwards. He dressed on autopilot, but toned down the hair product. A small smile crossed his lips as he thought of how much Sebastian had liked running his hands through Blaine's wild curls. He hoped that they would send Burt home early so that he could see his new boyfriend (or whatever he wanted to call himself) and make up for yesterday.

Sam was sprawled in one of the waiting room chairs when Blaine walked in with two coffees.

"Is that for me?" Sam said hopefully, pushing himself upright.

"You did text and ask for one," Blaine said with a small chuckle. "Is everyone else in the room?"

"Kurt's in the room. Finn went by the shop to make sure everything is running okay so Burt won't worry. Carol is talking to the doctor in his office," Sam replied. "I thought I'd wait out here and give Kurt some time with his dad."

"You're a good friend," Blaine said. "They say anything about Burt going home today?"

Sam shrugged. "I think that's what Carol is talking to the doctor about. Burt wants Kurt to go back to New York so he doesn't miss classes, but I don't think he'll leave as long as Burt's in here."

"That's true," Blaine said with a sigh. "Don't know what I'd do if it were me."

"Same thing, I expect," Sam replied. He leaned back in the chair and sipped his coffee. "I sent a text out to the rest of the Glee club. Thought they'd want to know."

"I expect your right," Blaine said. "Did Kurt go home last night?" Kurt and Carol had been having a rather heated debate on who was spending the night at the hospital when the nurse had insisted that the rest of them go home for the night. Blaine had left before there had been any resolution, though he'd put money on Carol getting her way.

Sam chuckled a bit. "Burt tried to make everyone go home, but Carol gave him this look that shut him right up. Kurt didn't stand a chance."

"Hope he got some sleep," Blaine said. He looked Sam over. "How are you holding up?"

"Could use a good massage," Sam said, shifting in his seat in an effort to find a more comfortable position. "I don't think the hospital wants people hanging around. That's why the chairs are so uncomfortable."

"Sure seems that way," Blaine replied. It was a bit warm in the room, so Blaine put his cup down and pulled off his hoodie; the same one that Sebastian had given him the day before. He found it comforting to have it with him.

"Wonder if Brit knows how to do a massage?" Sam mused.

"That cat of hers probably does," Blaine said with a small smile.

"As long as he doesn't use his claws," Sam said. "Not exactly how I pictured spending my weekend. Just glad Brit is understanding."

"Yeah, I hope Sebastian is," Blaine said, more to himself than Sam, although Sam seemed to accept their relationship.

"You guys have plans?" Sam asked.

Blaine flushed slightly as he remembered where he'd been (and his state of undress) when he'd talked to Sam the previous morning. "Nothing definite. Just hanging out, I guess."

Sam gave him a puzzled look for a long moment. "You know, that hoodie is a little big for you. And I didn't know you ever played lacrosse."

Blaine glanced down at the hoodie. It hadn't really registered that it said more than 'Dalton'. "Um, it's Sebastian's."

Sam nodded, but his expression said he expected more information.

"I, uh, kind of spent the night after we left your house," Blaine said. "He gave me some clean clothes so I didn't have to waste time going home to change."

"Spent the night as in sleeping over or sleeping together?" Sam asked.

Blaine didn't keep things from Sam, but he was a little embarrassed after all the times he'd said that they were only friends. "Together-together."

"So, you're like boyfriends now?" Sam asked. He seemed happy for them.

"Sebastian doesn't like labels, but he did promise we'd be exclusive," Blaine replied. A small smile slipped onto his face as he thought about his, well, whatever Sebastian was.

Sam gave him a high five and then glanced towards the waiting room door. "I take it that Kurt doesn't know."

Blaine sighed heavily. "This doesn't seem like the right time to bring something like that up."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sam agreed. "So, Sebastian okay with you being here? I mean, it's kind of weird, what with Kurt being the ex and all."

"He's still my friend," Blaine said, though he'd had that same thought a few times himself. "It's not like we're getting back together. He just needs his friends right now."

"Sebastian know that's all it is?" Sam asked.

Blaine started to say 'of course', but then remembered how quiet Sebastian had been the night before. Did he know that Blaine wanted him, not Kurt?

"I'm screwing this up already, aren't I?" Blaine said. He wanted to beat his head against the wall.

"Send him a text," Sam said in encouragement. "Throw in a few suggestive comments. He seems the type that would like that."

Blaine had never actually sexted anyone. His and Kurt's texts had never gotten above PG-13. "Maybe I should just call him later."

"Um, phone sex, that could work," Sam said.

Blaine wondered if Sam and Brittany were having problems; Sam seemed awfully focused on sex all of a sudden. He was spared from asking something that probably would have embarrassed them both by Carol's reappearance.

"What are you boys doing out here?" Carol asked. She sounded even more tired than she looked.

"We were just giving Kurt a little time with his dad," Sam said.

"Did the doctor say Burt could go home?" Blaine asked. He hoped nothing would keep Kurt from returning to school. NYADA classes weren't exactly the type that you could make up online.

"Yes, thank goodness," Carol said with a relieved sigh. "I'm not sure we could have kept him here another day anyway." She gave them an encouraging smile. "Let's go tell them the good news."

Blaine was more than happy to stand and stretch before following Carol into the room. The dark circles under Kurt's eyes indicated that he hadn't slept well the night before either.

Burt was relieved to be going home. They had to wait for the nurse to come with final orders and a prescription for new blood pressure meds, but Burt was already dressed and waiting for her when she made her appearance.

"Maybe I should stay another day or so," Kurt said as they walked out of the hospital with Burt fuming at having to ride in a wheelchair. "Just until we know how the new meds work."

"You need to get back to school," Burt said in a no-nonsense tone. "You're not throwing away this opportunity to play nursemaid to an old man."

"That's my job," Carol said affectionately.

"Finn and I will make sure he follows orders," Sam promised.

Kurt waffled. "You'll let me know how everything is going?" he asked Sam.

"I'll send a report every day, if you want," Sam promised.

"I'll be fine," Burt said in exasperation. "You need to get a move on if you're going to catch that plane back to New York."

Kurt looked at Blaine. "I could use a ride to the airport, since I seem to have worn out my welcome here."

Blaine was on the verge of offering to take him when Sam jumped in. "I'll give you ride, Kurt."

Kurt looked confused, but Blaine immediately realized that Sam was trying to keep him from making things worse with Sebastian. There wasn't any reason that Kurt needed him for a ride if someone else could do it.

"Um, thanks, Sam," Kurt said. He cast a questioning look at Blaine, but Blaine avoiding his gaze. Now wasn't the time to admit that he was with Sebastian.

"Well, since that's all taken care of, let's get this show on the road," Burt said as Finn pulled up with their car.

Kurt made sure that his dad was situated in the passenger seat and then turned towards Blaine as the others found their places in the car. "It's going to be crowded with all of us. Maybe you could give me a ride home?"

Sam gave Blaine a helpless shrug from behind Kurt's back. There wasn't any reason to turn down the request and it wasn't really that far.

"Sure, my car is just over there," Blaine said. Once everyone else was on their way, he guided Kurt to his car and opened the passenger side door for him. "You look tired. Do you think you'll be able to sleep on the flight back?"

"I hope I can stay awake. I hate sleeping with all those strangers around," Kurt replied.

Blaine went around the car and slid into the driver's side.

"So, what's the real reason that Sam offered to drive me to the airport?" Kurt asked. "I was hoping it would give us a chance to talk."

Blaine put the car into drive, not really sure what they had left to talk about. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk about?"

Kurt frowned at him, just a touch suspiciously. "I know what you said the other night, but I thought maybe you felt differently now. I mean, you came to the hospital. Doesn't that mean we're at least friends?"

Blaine sighed. He was still trying to figure out why he'd gone to the hospital. It wasn't like there hadn't been other people for Kurt to lean on. He was just so used to it being him. "Just because we aren't together doesn't mean that I don't care about you and your dad."

"So, nothing has changed then," Kurt said. He was staring out the side window, obviously getting upset.

"Kurt, what do you want from me?" Blaine asked. If he hadn't been driving, he would have run a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I don't want to lose you," Kurt said. "But it sounds like I already have."

"Kurt, we've been through already," Blaine said. He pulled into the Hummel's driveway and put the car into park. "You were my first love and you'll always have a special place in my heart, but you've moved on and I'm trying to do the same."

Kurt turned so that they were facing each other. "Are you going to see Sebastian today? Is that why you don't want to drive me to the airport?"

Blaine thought about lying, but knew it would come out eventually. "Yes, I just didn't want to upset you by bringing it up after everything else you've been through this weekend."

"You slept with him," Kurt said. He held up a hand when Blaine's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I know every item of clothing in your closet and a 'Dalton Lacrosse' hoodie in a size too large is not among them."

Blaine's mouth snapped shut. He should have known Kurt would notice. Before he could come up with a reason why he'd have borrowed the hoodie that didn't involve him spending the night in Sebastian's bed, Kurt continued.

"You were also wearing the same pants yesterday morning and hadn't put any product in your hair. Judging by the way he couldn't keep his hands out of your hair Friday night, I'm guessing he prefers it that way," Kurt said. He didn't seem angry, but his expression dared Blaine to contradict him.

"I didn't lie to you about our relationship the other night," Blaine said.

"But things have a way of changing," Kurt said. "Friday night was the first time?"

Blaine nodded, not sure where this was going, but he hated lying.

"Do you love him?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Blaine said hesitantly. "I like him. I like being with him. Maybe." He was a little gun shy about declaring love until he was sure. He wasn't quite there yet.

Kurt gave him a challenging look. "I want you back," he said. "I understand that our breakup was at least half my fault for not reassuring you that I wasn't moving on without you and I promise to do better in the future if you'll just give us another chance."

Blaine was stunned. Kurt had never admitted to having any fault in their breakup before. "What about Adam?"

"I'll break up with him when I get back to New York," Kurt said.

"I was going to Los Angeles," Blaine said weakly. He wasn't really sure what was happening and started grasping at excuses to postpone giving an answer.

Kurt's gaze flitted away for a moment. "I have a friend who works part time in the admissions office. Your name is on the list of those accepted to NYADA. You should get your letter this week."

"You don't care that I slept with Sebastian?" Blaine asked, incredulously.

"Oh, I care," Kurt said. "But I realize that we weren't together, so technically, it wasn't cheating."

Blaine sat back, dumbfounded. It was too much information at once and he had no idea how to respond.


	10. Chapter 10

Kurt waited, tension mounting, as Blaine simply stared at him in disbelief. Kurt knew he'd probably taken his ex-boyfriend completely by surprise, especially after their talk Friday night, but Kurt had done a lot of reevaluating over the previous day while waiting for news that his father would be okay. He'd been so wrapped up in his own pain and self-righteous indignation over being cheated on that he'd never stopped to try to see things from Blaine's point of view. While that didn't excuse what Blaine had done, it did make Kurt realize that he had taken their relationship for granted and given Blaine plenty of reason to think he didn't care anymore. He just hoped that he wasn't too late to rectify the situation.

"Blaine? Please, give us another chance," Kurt said softly when Blaine simply stared at him, mouth slightly open in confusion. He wished he knew what Blaine was thinking.

"Kurt, we're both with someone else now," Blaine said. "I care about you but…"

Kurt should have known that Blaine would have developed a certain loyalty to his new boyfriend – or whatever Sebastian was after their one night together. He had to make Blaine see that there was no future with Sebastian. "What will happen between the two of you after graduation? The long distance thing didn't work so well for us. Are you going to try it again with him?" Kurt knew that Sebastian wouldn't be able to keep it in his pants for two minutes once Blaine was out of sight, but he couldn't say that without throwing Blaine's own indiscretion in his face.

"We just agreed to be together until graduation. After that…" Blaine sort of shrugged. Kurt didn't like how sad he looked at the thought of losing Sebastian.

"Then come to New York," Kurt said. He reached over and took one of Blaine's hands in his. "We can start over and try again. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Blaine slid his hand away. "Would we be having this conversation if I hadn't spent the night with Sebastian?"

Kurt knew a wrong answer would kill any chance he had with Blaine, so he chose his words carefully. "I never stopped wanting you, but I was afraid to let you too close again. I kept thinking that we'd work things out once you were in New York."

"You mean, when you could keep an eye on me and make sure I wasn't cheating on you again," Blaine said dryly.

Kurt winced at the truth in that statement, but he wasn't about to admit it. "I just thought it would be easier to reconnect when we could see each other every day."

"A week ago, I would have given anything to hear you say you wanted me back," Blaine said.

Kurt's heart jumped a little and then he realized what Blaine really meant. "But not now."

"I'm not breaking up with Sebastian just because you had a change of heart," Blaine said. "Maybe things won't work out between me and Sebastian once we leave Lima, but I have a few weeks until then and I'm going to make the best of that while I can."

Kurt wanted to grind his teeth, but kept his tone gentle. "But you left him to come to the hospital when I needed you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yeah, it tells me that I have some major making up to do," Blaine said. He sighed heavily. "Kurt, I do care about you. I probably always will, but I'm not going to rearrange my life to suit you anymore."

Kurt's mouth dropped open in shock. When had he ever asked Blaine to 'rearrange his life'? Well, besides changing schools and maybe the way he dressed. Kurt wasn't interested in the answer right now though. "What about college? You're going to throw away a chance at one of the best Performing Art schools in the country just to spite me?"

"I want to go to CalArts in LA," Blaine said. "New York is your dream, not mine."

Kurt had thought that Blaine just wanted to go to LA because of Cooper, not because he preferred that school over NYADA. "And if you don't get into CalArts?"

Blaine opened his mouth to reply and then closed it without saying anything. "I don't know," Blaine finally admitted.

Kurt sensed victory. He used his most reasonable voice. "If NYADA is the only school you get into, wouldn't it make sense to go there?"

Blaine frowned slightly but nodded. "I guess."

"And if we're both going to the same school and neither of us is seeing anyone else, couldn't we, maybe, just see if there's still something there?" Kurt asked. He threw a touch of wheedling in his tone.

Blaine rubbed the back of his neck as he thought that over. "I guess that makes sense," he finally said. "But I might still get into CalArts."

Kurt had to refrain from doing a little victory dance. The odds of getting into CalArts were even less than NYADA. Blaine was practically his again and Sebastian just a bad memory. He leaned over and gave Blaine a chaste kiss on the check. "Thanks for being there when I needed you. It means a lot to me."

Blaine looked a little flustered, but nodded as Kurt let himself out of the car. Kurt saved his victory dance for when he was safely behind his bedroom door.

Sebastian slid into the driver's seat of his car and rested his head against the steering wheel for a moment to regroup. Sunday mornings were always difficult and this one had been worse than most; just what he needed after yesterday. He wasn't surprised when he turned his phone back on and found several messages from Blaine. He assumed that Blaine was calling to tell him it had all been a mistake and he and Kurt were back together again. Why else would he have abandoned Sebastian after their first night together and run back to his ex?

Sebastian put off answering Blaine's text until he was home. He didn't really want to hear what Blaine had to say, but finally decided he'd better just go ahead and get it over with; like tearing a bandage off in one quick motion rather than prolonging it.

S: 'What's up?'

It only took a moment to get an answer.

B: "Need to see you. Are you at home?'

S: 'Yeah, come on over.' Sebastian would just as soon done this over text, but Blaine was the type to give bad news in person.

B: 'I'm at the Lima Bean. Want me to bring a coffee?'

Sebastian couldn't help a small smile. Where else would Blaine be?

S: 'Make it strong.'

B: 'See you in a few.'

Sebastian put the phone away and stripped for a quick shower. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and between a shower and some coffee, maybe he'd have a clearer head. However, when the doorbell rang, he still had no idea how to deal with Blaine. He pulled on jeans and a polo shirt and hoped for the best.

"Coffee, as promised," Blaine said when Sebastian opened the door. He seemed a little nervous, although that may have been from the several cups of coffee that Sebastian assumed he'd already consumed that morning.

"Nectar of the gods," Sebastian said. He motioned Blaine inside and took a drink from the cup with a satisfied sigh. He definitely needed that.

"So, Hummel Sr. back home?" Sebastian asked. He led Blaine into the family room and sprawled out in his favorite chair.

Blaine gave him a rundown on Burt's prognosis which Sebastian was relieved to hear. He'd only met Mr. Hummel the one time, but he'd seemed cool for a dad. "Sam took Kurt to the airport and I tried to get in touch with you, but, well…" Blaine shrugged. He didn't ask where Sebastian had been or why he'd had his phone off and Sebastian didn't offer an explanation. "I'm sorry about yesterday. The timing couldn't have been worse."

"Oh, I don't know. A few hours earlier and I might have silenced your phone permanently," Sebastian said with a smirk. When in doubt, suggestive innuendo was a safe fallback.

Blaine blushed slightly. "I doubt I would have noticed the phone then," he said with a shy smile.

"Good to know all this romance stuff hasn't affected my game," Sebastian said.

Blaine looked like he wasn't sure what to make of that statement. "So, what did you do yesterday?" Blaine asked. "Get a lot of homework done?"

"Managed to get ahead a bit," Sebastian said and then decided it was as good a time as any to tell Blaine where he'd been last night. If Blaine was looking for a reason to break up with him, Sebastian might as well accommodate him. "I got bored after we talked last night, so I went to Scandals." He feigned indifference as he waited for the fallout.

Blaine stared at his hands for a moment. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

That was hardly the response Sebastian expected. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I'm sorry that I made you feel that way," Blaine said softly. "Like I was picking Kurt over you."

Sebastian was flummoxed. Where were the recriminations; the histrionics? For possible the first time in his life, Sebastian had no idea how to respond.

There was silence for a moment and the Blaine finally asked. "Did you… meet someone?"

"I had every intention to, but…" Sebastian trailed off, not sure how to finish. He wasn't really sure what had held him back. "I guess no one measured up."

There was another long silence. "I don't want us to be over," Blaine said. He gave Sebastian a beseeching look that squeezed something in Sebastian's chest. "Can we get past this?"

And it finally hit Sebastian like a sledgehammer to the stomach; Blaine wasn't going to break up with him. Maybe he had gone to the hospital when Kurt called, but that was just who Blaine was. It didn't have to be over.

For once, Sebastian sent up a silent prayer of thanks that all the men had been dogs the night before. He stood up, walked over to where Blaine was sitting and knelt down in front of him, resting his hands on Blaine's knees. "You can see how bad I am at this. Are you sure this is what you really want?"

Much like Friday night, Blaine answered with a slight smile and a kiss, but that was really all the answer that Sebastian needed.

Sebastian propped his feet on the seat in front of him as he watched Tina practice the last song that came before his set. He couldn't claim to be one of her favorite people, but the rest of New Directions seemed to accept him. He was beginning to understand why Blaine had stayed. The Warblers were close, but New Directions seemed more like family than just friends. Not that Sebastian cared that much about either group, but he could see the appeal for Blaine who was much more a people person than he was.

Sebastian had watched Blaine practice with the Cheerios for a while before the coach had run him off as being a distraction to both the male and female members of her squad. Now he was stuck with watching New Directions give their sets a run through before Prom this Friday. He still couldn't believe he was going to Prom with his boyfriend (not that he would ever use that word aloud).

"Here, this is for you," Brittany said as she plopped down in the chair beside him.

Sebastian was a little wary of Brittany and took the sheet of paper hesitantly. "What is it?"

"It's from Lord Tubbington. He says that it's your song," Brittany explained.

"Lord Tubbington?" Sebastian asked against his better judgment. Asking Brittany for explanations usually only led to more confusion.

"My cat," Brittany said. "He downloaded the lyrics from the internet and printed them out for you so you could sing it for Blaine."

"Your cat downloaded song lyrics from the internet for me to sing to Blaine?" Sebastian asked, nonplussed.

"He said you'd understand," Brittany said with a bright smile.

Sebastian watched with his mouth slightly agape as Brittany flounced off to confuse someone else.

"Hey, Sebastian, you're up," Sam called from the stage. Joe and Ryder were already waiting for him to join them.

"Yeah, coming," Sebastian called back. He shook the Brittany induced cobwebs from his head and dropped his feet from the seat to stand up. He folded the piece of paper up and stuck it in his jacket pocket without looking at it. There was no telling what sort of song a cat would want him to sing.

Sebastian didn't look at the paper again until he arrived at home late that night. He was flabbergasted when he recognized the song. At first, he couldn't imagine why anyone would think that his singing this would be a good idea (to Blaine or anyone else), but the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how perfect the song was. Brittany's cat was apparently a genius; maybe he had taken Brittany's SATs for her.

"What's up with your hair?" Tina asked as Blaine joined her at lunch. "Did the hair gel plant go on strike?"

"Is it that bad?" Blaine asked, disheartened.

"No, actually I like it better this way," Tina said with a smile.

Blaine blushed slightly. "Sebastian does too." He was still getting used to trying to tame his wild hair without a ton of product, but it was a small price to pay for the enjoyment that Sebastian got from being able to wind his fingers through the curls.

"Sebastian, yeah…" Tina said sourly. "I really don't understand what you see in that guy."

"He's great in bed," Blaine said in an attempt to get Tina to laugh. Instead, she rolled her eyes.

"I suppose he's had enough practice," Tina replied. "Please tell me that you are being safe."

"Why does Blaine need to be safe?" Sam asked as he slid into the seat beside Tina.

Mentioning his sex life to Tina was once thing, but bringing it up in front of Sam – who he had once had a slight crush on – was something else entirely.

"Apparently, Sebastian is great in bed," Tina informed Sam with a grimace while Blaine's face began to burn.

"Oh? How does that work exactly?" Sam asked with a frown. "I mean, with two guys?"

"Oh my god!" Tina exclaimed in horror. "I can't believe you asked that. Look it up online if you're so interested."

"What are we looking up online?" Artie asked as he joined them. "I've got my iPhone if you need it."

"How two guys have sex," Sam said as he dug into his food. "Apparently, Blaine's new boyfriend is great in the sack."

Blaine pushed his tray away and buried his face in his arms on the table top.

"You done with that?" Sam asked and then slid Blaine's tray closer without waiting for an answer.

"So you and Sebastian are official?" Artie asked, ignoring the question about boy-on-boy sex. "Congratulations."

"Did you sext him like I suggested or did you just jump to the good stuff?" Sam asked Blaine, who was trying hard to disappear into the table.

"I can't believe you all are okay with this," Tina snapped. "Sebastian is evil. We should start calling him Darth Sebastian or something."

"That really doesn't flow," Sam said. "Maybe, Darth Smythe."

"You are not calling my boyfriend 'Darth Smythe'," Blaine said without raising his head.

"Bet you can't say it three times fast," Artie said.

Tina stood up with a huff and moved to another table as Sam attempted to say 'Darth Smythe' three times, stumbling over the words on the second repetition. Even Blaine had to laugh at how ridiculous it sounded.

"What's her problem?" Artie asked with a nod at Tina, who was sitting with her back to them.

"She doesn't like Sebastian," Blaine replied.

"He's not so bad," Artie said with a shrug. "It's great that he's helping out with the Prom. Gives the rest of us a break from performing."

"Are you going with Sugar?" Sam asked. "She seemed really into you at the Sadie Hawkins dance."

They spent the next several minutes talking about the upcoming prom and what they were going to do about Nationals. Mr. Schue's latest ideas had them all cringing.

"We're going to have to find someone to replace Brit," Sam said. "She'll be gone to MIT by the time Nationals get here."

"How about you, Blaine? You heard where you're going yet?" Artie asked.

Blaine sighed heavily. "I got accepted to NYADA." His letter had come the day after Kurt had left.

"That's great, bro," Sam congratulated him. Then he seemed to sense that Blaine wasn't as happy as he should be about it. "Isn't it?"

"I really hoping to get into CalArts," Blaine said. He felt like he was being ungrateful though. "Cooper was really looking forward to us doing the brother thing and all."

"You can always transfer later, right?" Sam asked.

Blaine had no idea if CalArts would accept credits from NYADA or not, so just shrugged. He should be happy that he'd at least gotten into one of the schools.

"Where's Sebastian going?" Artie asked. "You going to be able to keep the fire burning or is it going to end up like every other high school romance and die as soon as ink dries on the high school diploma?"

That only served to make Blaine more depressed than he already was. "He hasn't said where he's going yet, but we already agreed we weren't going to try the long distance relationship thing."

"Sensible," Artie said sagely.

"It sucks," Sam said. He glanced across the cafeteria to where Brittany was talking to another Cheerio. "It's like we graduate and forget how much everyone meant to us."

"Last year's Glee members still keep in touch," Artie reminded Sam. "In fact, I hear that a few of them may be coming back to help with Nationals."

Blaine tensed. Surely Kurt would be too busy to come back again so soon. "Mike and Mercedes?" he guessed.

"And Kurt," Sam added after Artie confirmed Blaine's guess. "His dad is getting his final test results and he wants to be home for that."

"Let's hope they come back clear," Blaine said. "Burt's a good man. He doesn't deserve this."

"Amen to that," Artie seconded while Sam nodded.

The bell rang and they cleared the table before heading to their next class. None of them noticed the way Tina watched them through narrowed eyes.

Prom night came much too soon for Sebastian. Despite the indifferent attitude he displayed for Blaine, he found himself a bit nervous. He'd never taken anyone to Prom before; never had any interest in it. But, like with everything else, Blaine was the exception.

They had already sung a set together and been dancing for a while when Kitty and Marley pulled Blaine away to count votes for Prom King and Queen. Sebastian made his way over to the refreshment table for a cool drink. He wrinkled his nose at the food offerings. He had plans for later that didn't involve sitting on (or leaning over) the toilet so abstained from trying any of the bacteria invested fingers foods that passed for high cuisine in a public school.

"You must be proud of Blaine."

Sebastian glanced up at the speaker in surprise. To his knowledge, Tina had never spoken to him directly except to snarl something unintelligible. He had no idea what she was talking about though.

"Good evening, Miss Cohen-Chang. You are looking lovely tonight," Sebastian said. He was rather proud of himself for managing to say it without a trace of sarcasm.

"You did hear that Blaine was accepted to NYADA, didn't you?" Tina asked, ignoring the compliment.

"They would have been fools not to," Sebastian said smoothly. It was the first he was hearing of it, but he wasn't giving Tina the satisfaction of knowing that.

"It's a shame he didn't get into CalArts," Tina continued. "I know he'd have rather have gone there, but at least he won't be all alone in New York. Kurt and Rachel invited him to move in with them, at least, at first."

Sebastian felt like a stone had dropped into his stomach, but years of practice hid it from his antagonist. "I do hope their lease doesn't prohibit them from running a boarding house."

Tina frowned slightly, perhaps because she wasn't getting the response she'd hoped for. "Kurt is thrilled. Blaine had already promised that they'd give it another try after graduation, so everything is just falling into place."

Sebastian's heart rose to fill his throat and he had to swallow hard to speak normally. "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?" From her confused look, Tina had no idea where that quote had come from. Sam would have gotten it.

Tina snorted and turned to watch her classmates dance, rather put out. "I always knew you didn't care about him. You're probably glad that you'll be off the hook after graduation."

"And here I thought that you pictured yourself filling the hole left in Blaine's heart," Sebastian observed. He felt slightly sick and wondered if someone had managed to poison the punch.

Tina glared at Sebastian. "Blaine and Kurt are soul-mates. They belong together. You're just the rebound guy." Tina gave him a triumphant smirk. "Everyone knows the rebound-guy never lasts." She flounced off without waiting for a response.

"So I've heard," Sebastian said softly to himself. He glanced across at the doors as Blaine re-entered the room and watched as he stopped to talk to the principal. A moment later, Blaine's gaze found his and he grinned before moving through the crowd towards Sebastian.

"Hey, miss me?" Blaine asked with a smile.

Sebastian had always known it wouldn't last. Blaine was right to make whatever plans he wanted for after graduation. Those plans didn't concern Sebastian as he wouldn't be a part of them. That didn't mean it didn't hurt though. "Always," Sebastian said.

Blaine's expression became softer and he moved close enough to whisper into Sebastian's ear. "We have a few minutes before the next set. The room we counted votes in was a little small, but nobody's in there and the door locks."

"Why, Mr. Anderson, whatever are you suggesting?" Sebastian asked.

"I'd just like to kiss my boyfriend without being glared at by the jocks," Blaine said with a shy smile.

Sebastian felt his heart melt a little. Maybe it wouldn't last, but Sebastian would take what he could get while he could get it. "Lead the way, mi amor."


	11. Chapter 11

"Damn, where did you learn to kiss like that?" Sebastian asked breathlessly. They didn't have much time before Blaine was expected back for his next set or he wouldn't be wasting his breath with talking. As it was, he needed something to distract him from pushing this any further – at least until they didn't have to worry about interruptions. Someone in New Directions was bound to come looking for them soon.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Blaine answered, just as breathlessly. He didn't give Sebastian a chance to answer before finding his lips again.

Sebastian moaned as Blaine pressed against him. "Are you sure we can't just get a room upstairs and forget the rest of this lame party?"

"I can't let the others down," Blaine answered, though he didn't seem inclined to stop what he was doing.

"You keep this up and we'll find out just how sturdy that table over there is," Sebastian panted.

Blaine looked like he was contemplating the table's durability when someone began banging on the door.

"We know you're in there. Come out with your hands up and your clothes on."

"I really hate the girls in your Glee Club," Sebastian said. He wasn't sure who was on the other side of the door, though it didn't sound like Brittany or Tina.

Blaine sighed heavily and gave the table a longing look. "How long do you think it would take her to get someone to unlock the door?"

Sebastian chuckled. "Want to find out?"

The pounding came again. "Marley went to get Jake. His brother has been teaching him how to pick locks."

"Damn," Sebastian said. He rather liked that Blaine wasn't in any hurry to leave their cozy little hide-a-way.

"I guess we might as well open the door," Blaine said with a sigh. "Kitty isn't known for her patience."

Blaine opened the door just as Kitty started to pound on it again, causing her to lurch forward slightly. She gave them a speculative once-over and then shifted into a simply glare.

"It's almost time for you next set," Kitty said to Blaine. She glanced pointedly at his hair. "You might want to stop by the restroom first unless you want the whole school to know you've been making out with your boyfriend." She slipped her arm through Sebastian's and pulled him away as Blaine headed to the men's room with an apologetic look at Sebastian. "For some reason, Brittany wants to talk to you. Something about a song you're supposed to do later."

Sebastian felt like a stone had settled in his stomach. He'd had severe reservations about singing the Tubby Cat's song to begin with. After Tina's comments, he was even less sure that he wanted to put himself out there like that. In a couple of weeks, it wouldn't matter how he felt about Blaine. They'd be thousands of miles apart and leading lives that had nothing to do with each other. What would be the point?

"Apparently her cat has been making up your set lists," Sebastian replied with nonchalance he didn't feel. "If he does your choreography as well, that would explain that deplorable exhibition at Sectionals."

Kitty wrinkled her nose. "We would have beaten you fair and square if Marley hadn't passed out on stage," she said. She looked away for a second as if struck by an uncomfortable memory, but recovered quickly. "You had to stoop to cheating to win."

"From what I've heard, you could give the Warblers tips," Sebastian replied. Blaine had told him about Kitty's breakdown during their gun-shot induced lockdown where she'd admitted to sabotaging Marley's clothes to make her think she was getting fat.

Kitty pulled away and turned to face Sebastian while walking backwards. "You boys couldn't handle someone like me," she answered and then flounced off with a smirk.

Sebastian had a feeling she was right, but let it go. Sparring matches with McKinley girls seldom turned out well for him. He settled for picturing how Miss Kitty would look wearing an ice-cold red slushy (sans rock salt).

Once he reached the door leading to the Prom ballroom, Sebastian stopped and glanced inside before entering. Brittany was near the stage dancing with Sam. If she saw him, he'd have to come up with some excuse not to perform the Tubby Cat song. If the fates were kind, he could talk Blaine into leaving once his set was done and Sebastian wouldn't have to face her at all. She'd be leaving for MIT on Monday, so no one else would ever know that he was supposed to sing one of the songs that Brittany had performed in all the practices. It could remain their little secret.

"If you're not going in, at least quite blocking the doorway," a familiar female voice snapped from behind Sebastian.

Sebastian stepped to one side with an extravagant flourish. "A thousand pardons, my lady."

Tina sniffed indignantly. "Enjoy it while you can, Slushy Warbler. In a couple of weeks, Blaine will be in New York with Kurt and you'll just be a distant memory."

"Tina? What's going on?"

Tina jumped as if she'd been pinched on the ass when Blaine appeared from nowhere to confront her.

"Nothing," Tina rushed to say. She looked guiltily from Sebastian to Blaine and then mumbled something before making her escape into the ballroom.

"Sebastian?" Blaine asked. He looked worried, maybe even afraid.

"Don't worry about it," Sebastian said. He nodded towards the stage where Sam was looking around frantically, probably trying to find Blaine. "They're waiting for you."

Blaine glanced inside and then back at Sebastian. He took a step closer and ran his hand down Sebastian's tie. "Don't leave without me," he said, just a touch shy.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sebastian replied. Neither wild elephants or Tina Cohen-Chang could drag him away when Blaine looked at him like that.

Sebastian reclined in the warm tub of water with Blaine leaning back against him. They'd need to move soon or risk drowning while asleep, but for now Sebastian was willing to just enjoy the moment. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the past couple of hours since they'd made their escape from the Prom (and Brittany), but he enjoyed just relaxing with Blaine laying against him far more than he'd ever thought he would. He felt a slight regret that he hadn't stayed and sang Tubby Cat's song, but he knew he and Blaine were on borrowed time. No matter how good this was, it wasn't going to last. It would be hard enough to walk away without putting his heart on his sleeve for everyone to mock.

"We should get in the bed before we fall asleep and drown," Blaine mumbled, barely coherent.

Sebastian chuckled slightly as Blaine echoed his own thought. "I'm not sure I can move. You've worn me out."

Blaine appeared rather pleased with himself at the thought; a far cry from the shy, schoolboy image he normally projected. "Is that a complaint?"

"Not a one," Sebastian assured him, though he suspected Blaine knew that.

Despite his comment, Blaine didn't make any move to get up.

"We really do need to get out," Sebastian said, making an effort to push the mostly asleep Blaine to his feet.

"But you make such a good pillow," Blaine protested with a yawn as he stood.

It was a sign of just how tired he was that the sight of all that bare, wet skin didn't stir certain parts that would normally have perked up at just the thought. "I assure you that my prowess as a pillow is just as good in a bed as a tub," Sebastian said as he forced himself to his feet and reached for a towel.

It was still dark in the room when Blaine woke, curled up against Sebastian's side and using Sebastian's chest as a pillow. Sebastian was gently carding his fingers through Blaine's curls.

"You're awake," Blaine mumble without moving.

"Just thinking how busy the next couple of weeks are going to be," Sebastian replied. "This might be the last weekend we get to spend the whole night together."

Blaine looked up with a frown but then return to his previous position. Sebastian sounded particularly melancholy, not something Blaine had ever thought to hear. "We'll be back from Nationals late Friday. We'd still have the rest of the weekend," Blaine said.

"Dalton's graduation practice is Saturday. Convocation is Sunday and my parent's will here for that," Sebastian replied. He paused for a moment and then added, "Mom wants me to go back to Parris with her for the summer. You'll be off to New York, I expect."

Blaine was confused for just a moment; he hadn't told Sebastian about his acceptance (and non-acceptance) letters yet, but then he remember the tail end of the conversation he'd heard between Sebastian and Tina.

"Tina told you about NYADA," Blaine said.

Sebastian gave Blaine a small hug. "It's too bad about CalArts. I know that's what you really wanted."

"It might be for the best. At least I don't have to worry about committing fratricide," Blaine said with a weak attempt at humor. Everyone else was too busy congratulating him on getting into NYADA to see how disappointed he was about CalArts, except Sebastian.

"I'm sure your mother finds that reassuring," Sebastian replied.

Blaine didn't really want to talk about NYADA, but was curious about the rest of the conversation that he had walked in on. "What else did Tina say?"

"Nothing much of interest. She has a bright future as the next Gossip Girl, though."

Blaine was becoming used to the way Sebastian deflected when he didn't want to talk about something.

"I heard her say something about me getting back together with Kurt." Blaine looked up at Sebastian, not that he could see much in the dark. "That's over, you know."

"You're here with me, aren't you?" Sebastian said softly. "For a least a little longer."

Blaine swallowed hard. He wasn't ready for this to be over. "When will you leave for Parris?" he asked.

"I'll stay until after McKinley's graduation, but then…" Sebastian shrugged.

Blaine blinked back tears. "I guess I knew this was coming, I just thought we'd have longer."

Sebastian shifted until he could rest his cheek against the top of Blaine's head. "Fates have never liked me much. I've learned to live with it."

They lay in silence for several longs minutes. There was so much left unsaid, but neither of them seemed willing to take that step. Blaine finally decided that this wasn't going down the way it had when Kurt was getting ready to graduate and leave. He wasn't going to waste the little time they had left with regrets for what was coming.

Blaine shifted until he found Sebastian's mouth with his. After an especially long kiss, he pulled back slightly. "No reason not to make the best use of the time we do have."

"I do like the way you think, Anderson," Sebastian said as he pulled Blaine on top of him and then resumed the interrupted kiss.

Sam was poking disinterestedly at his food when Blaine joined him at lunch on Monday. "You okay?" Blaine asked in concern. Sam usually attacked his lunch as if he were afraid it might escape if he didn't ingest it fast enough.

"Yeah, fine," Sam said. He dropped his fork on the plate and pushed his tray away. "We really need to get our game on if we're going to win Nationals this week. Brit's leaving has left us without a strong female dancer, but I guess we'll manage."

"Do we even have enough to make up a team?" Blaine asked. "Ryder insists he's not coming back." The mention of Brittany reminded Blaine that he wasn't the only one with relationship issues. No wonder Sam was a little down.

"We can always get a couple of the band guys to stand in the back and look like they know what they're doing," Sam said with a shrug. It sounded like he was only feigning interest. Blaine understood. He almost wished they hadn't made Nationals. That meant there were three more days that he wouldn't be able to spend with Sebastian. Actually, they wouldn't see much of each other at all this week since Dalton had senior finals a week before McKinley. Blaine could probably skate through McKinley finals next week, but Dalton was completely different.

"Why all the long faces?" Artie asked as he joined them. "We're graduating, yo? We should be celebrating, not having a wake."

"Brit left for MIT this weekend," Blaine said softly. Sam sighed and slouched down in his seat until his head was barely above the table top.

"Sorry, bro." Artie said. "Forgot about that."

"Forgot what?" Tina asked as she took the seat next to Blaine.

Blaine wasn't sure how he felt about Tina just now. He still didn't know what all she'd said to Sebastian, but he was sure that it wasn't anything good. He just didn't understand what her motivation was for bringing up Kurt. Did she hate Sebastian that much or was it something else?

"About Brit leaving," Sam said dispiritedly.

"I guess that means you're the only senior girl left," Artie noted.

"Like that means anything," Tina said huffily. "Mr. Schue will still give Marley the solo before he give it to me. Let's just hope she doesn't bomb Nationals when the pressure is really intense."

"That's not fair, Tina. Marley doesn't go after solos like Rachel," Blaine said. He didn't know Marley well, but she seemed like a sweet girl. "And she did just fine at Regionals."

Tina snorted in contempt. "Jake carried her at Regionals. We all saw that."

Blaine decided that it wasn't worth arguing about. Mr. Schue had the final word on solos, not him. "Is there any chance that Ryder will change his mind and join us for Nationals? He did help get us there and it seems a shame to drop out now."

"I talked to him, but he's not budging," Sam said. "This catfish thing really has him rattled."

"Unique tried to talk to him too, but he doesn't want anything to do with her," Artie said. "Can't say I blame him. He was really falling for that girl and then finds out it's not a girl at all."

"I don't think Unique meant any harm," Blaine said. "It just kind of got away from her." He still wasn't sure if he was supposed to refer to Unique as 'him' or 'her' so settled for how Unique saw herself.

"He pretended to be a girl and made Ryder fall for him," Tina said in disgust. "That's pretty low."

"Who shoved a holier-than-thou stick up your ass?" Kitty asked as she sat next to Sam. "You tried to vapo-rape a gay boy when he had a cold. How pathetic is that?"

Blaine felt his face heat up. He still wasn't sure what exactly happened that evening he'd fallen asleep while Tina was at his house. She'd been rather contrite about it later though.

"What?" Artie exclaimed in surprise. He glanced at Blaine who could only shrug.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tina said with a sniff.

"Our little Asian princess plied our gay-lead with cold meds that knocked him out and then half undressed him so that she could rub her hands all over his chest."

Blaine gapped first at Kitty and then at Tina.

"I was putting vapo-rub on him to help him breath better," Tina protested.

"And that took a whole jar?" Kitty asked.

Tina growled something under her breath and then stood and stormed off.

Sam had sat back up, showing interest in something for the first time. "Did she really do that?" he asked Blaine.

"I guess," Blaine said hesitantly. "I wondered why my shirt was unbuttoned and the vapo-rub jar empty." He realized that both Sam and Artie were staring at him. "The vapo-rub really helped my cold though."

Sam started laughing. "Talk about barking up the wrong tree."

"She just misses me and is too proud to admit it," Artie said with an arrogant wave of his hand. Blaine wasn't sure it Artie was serious or just trying to lighten the mood.

"Was it just your chest that she rubbed?" Kitty asked sweetly, leaning forward with the most innocent look on her face. "She didn't rub anywhere… lower?"

"With vapo-rub? Ewww," Sam exclaimed, crossing his legs and putting his hands over his lap protectively.

It didn't sound very appealing to Blaine either. "I'm fairly sure she didn't," he said. Surely he would have woken if someone had done that?

"Does your blond Warbler know just how close you and your 'girlfriend' really are?" Kitty asked. She was starting to get a malicious glint in her eyes.

"Until a few minutes ago, I didn't even know," Blaine said, more to himself that to Kitty. He was rather shocked, but now he understood some of the comments that Kurt had made at the wedding-that-wasn't. He must have learned about it somehow, but not told Blaine. He remembered when Ryder had talked about being taken advantage of by his babysitter and he suddenly had a new appreciation for how that must have felt.

"They seemed to be having quite the discussion at the Prom while you were onstage," Kitty continued. "I wonder if they were comparing notes on how good you are in bed?"

"At least he was awake when he was with Sebastian," Sam said in Blaine defense.

Kitty gave Sam an curious look. "And you know this, how?"

"He was telling us how good Sebastian was in bed." Sam paused for a moment as if mulling something over. "Maybe that was why Tina got so upset and left that day. She realized she didn't stand a chance against Sebastian."

"I think she was more upset that Blaine wasn't getting back with Kurt," Artie said. "She seems obsessed with them being soul-mates or something."

"She seems to think that Kurt and I will get back together when I go to NYADA," Blaine said softly.

"She does, does she?" Kitty said thoughtfully. Blaine could see the wheels turning in her head and wondered where it was leading her. He couldn't really see why Tina cared one way or the other. As his friend, shouldn't she just be happy that he'd found someone? Everyone else had accepted that he was with Sebastian.

"So, where is Sebastian going after graduation?" Artie asked, changing the subject. He seemed a little wary of Kitty.

"His mother wants him to spend the summer with her in Parris," Blaine said.

"As in Parris, France?" Kitty asked, her mouth dropping open in surprise. "Does he have a straight brother? Or even a lesbian sister?"

"You're not gay," Artie reminded her.

"For a trip to Parris, France, I could be gay for a few weeks," Kitty said.

"I think he's an only child," Blaine said while shaking his head a little in bemusement. He didn't know if she was serious or just going for the shock value.

"How about you? Going to go straight to New York or hang around here for the summer?" Sam asked.

"Cooper wants me to come to LA for the summer," Blaine said. "He was so disappointed that I didn't get into school in LA that I promised him I would."

Sam and Artie talked about their plans while Blaine picked at his lunch. Despite his best efforts, the impending breakup was weighing heavily on him. It had been difficult enough when Kurt had left. At least then, he'd expected to join him later. This time, when he and Sebastian said good-bye, that would be it. There was no plan to try a long distance relationship, no plans to try to stay friends, no plans to stay in each other's lives in any sort of way. Leaving all his friends behind was bad enough, but leaving Sebastian was breaking his heart a little more every day.


	12. Chapter 12

"Where is he?" Blaine asked as Trent let him into the house.

Music and loud voices from further inside nearly drowned out Trent's answer. Blaine had fond memories of Warblers parties, but didn't really feel that he belonged here anymore.

"In the library pretending to be asleep," Trent said as the led Blaine down the hallway away from the music. "He seems to think that if he pretends he can't hear us, we'll leave him alone."

"I'm surprised he hasn't slipped out the door when no one was looking," Blaine said in exasperation. Until Jeff had called, he hadn't known about the party at Trent's. He was a little hurt that Sebastian hadn't invited him, but then again, it didn't sound like Sebastian was really in a celebratory mood.

"He came with Nick and Jeff," Trent said, "grumbling the whole time, I might add."

They reached the library door and Blaine shook his head as his gaze found Sebastian draped across an over-stuffed chair, head over one arm and legs hanging over the other.

"He's all yours," Trent said with a wink and then turned to walk back down the hall towards the party.

Blaine wondered what he was supposed to do now; wait for Sebastian to notice he wasn't alone, wake him a kiss or rant at someone who was most likely three sheets to the wind?

"You're letting all the noise in," Sebastian said without opening his eyes. At least, he didn't appear to.

Blaine huffed a laugh before walking inside and closing the door behind him. "That never seems to bother you at Scandals," he said as he took a seat in the chair across from Sebastian, the unlit fireplace between them.

"Only go there to pick up guys, not for the ambiance," Sebastian replied. "Nothing here worth pursuing." He finally cracked an eye open. "At least, there wasn't earlier."

Blaine smiled wryly at the lame pickup line. "Why did you come if you didn't want to hang out with the guys?"

"Niff kidnapped me and forced me to come," Sebastian said with a long-suffering sigh. "They told my mother not to expect me back." He paused melodramatically and looked towards the closed door as if to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "I think they're planning some arcane ritual later that involves sacrificing a virgin. Nixon may not live to see the dawn."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "It's just the pre-graduation party," he said. Dalton would have an official graduation party after the event on Monday, but the Warblers always had their own the weekend before. "No human sacrifice involved, although a few of them may feel like they have been come morning when their heads feel like they're about to explode." Blaine had been one of those people a couple of years ago. He had never had much of a tolerance for alcohol and despite them all being underage, someone always managed to sneak some in.

"Just as well," Sebastian said. "Someone will have to clean up after this mob. Difficult to do if he's been sacrificed."

Blaine shook his head in bemusement. Sebastian had a really twisted sense of humor at times. "Trent said you'd had a bit to drink and then crashed in here. He wasn't sure if you were just faking so they'd leave you alone or might have had too much."

Sebastian turned his head to look at Blaine, but otherwise didn't move. His expression was unreadable. "Nixon plans to major in being a mother-hen. I think he should just go straight into an apprenticeship. He already has it down pat."

"Friends worry about each other," Blaine said with a sigh.

Sebastian turned his head towards the ceiling and closed his eyes again. "Is that why you're here; because you're worried about me?"

Blaine wanted to say 'yes', but didn't think it would go over well. It wasn't the whole reason though. "I haven't seen you in a week," he said softly. "I missed you."

"Might as well get used to it now," Sebastian said offhandedly. "Only another week until McKinley's graduation and then…"

Blaine had to fight back the pain, but he understood now why Sebastian hadn't called him. He had done the same thing with Kurt last year. It hadn't worked then either. "We should try to make the best of it then, instead of avoiding each other."

Sebastian opened his eyes, but stared at the ceiling as if the answer might be hidden there. "I've never cared before when I had to tell someone goodbye," Sebastian said. "I'm not sure I know how."

Blaine felt tears burn the back of his eyes. "Then we don't say it," Blaine replied, swallowing hard. "When the time comes, we say goodnight like we always do and walk away."

Silence reigned for the next several minutes as both young men were lost in their own thoughts. Finally Sebastian dropped his feet to the floor and sat up. "Enough of this maudlin rattrap. I heard there's a party around here somewhere." He stalked over and pulled Blaine to his feet. "It's our duty as hot, gay men to show these losers how it's done."

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at Sebastian's mercurial mood shift. "As long as that doesn't involve a live porn show, I'm in."

"Not an exhibitionist? I can work with that," Sebastian replied with a half-smirk.

They both did their best not to think about the future as they joined the Warblers in their celebration. And for just a little while, they managed to forget.

Tina was rather surprised when Blaine joined her for lunch in the cafeteria. He hadn't said much to her on the way back from their disastrous loss at Nationals. In fact, he hadn't said much to her the whole week prior to that.

"Hey," Blaine said softly as he took a seat across from her. "How'd your history final go this morning?"

It might just be small talk, but Tina would take what she could get. "Ok, I guess. I'm more worried about Calculus tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Blaine said. He picked at his food for a minute before finally taking a bite.

"I guess the whole school knows about Nationals," Tina said. Not that she thought anyone except New Directions really cared.

Blaine shrugged. "They'll do better next year."

"I'm sorry. About Nationals, I mean," Tina said in a rush. "I shouldn't have been such a diva about Marley getting a solo."

"It's not your fault," Blaine said with another shrug. "Neither Sam or I had our hearts in it. Marley and Jake had that fight, so they weren't talking to each other. Unique was still upset because Ryder wouldn't come back because of her catfishing him. It's amazing that we even made it through the set list without screwing something up."

Tina knew an olive branch when she saw one. "Things aren't going well with you and Sebastian?" she asked. She tried to sound honestly concerned, though it was an effort. She really didn't see the point of that relationship.

Blaine stabbed viciously at his mystery meat, but his tone was mild. "Are you really interested or do you just want to a reason to celebrate?"

Tina sucked in a sharp breath, not that she didn't deserve Blaine's anger. He usually hid it better though. "I haven't been a very good friend, have I? I should have – I don't know – been more understanding?"

Blaine gave her a steady look before shrugging. "That would have been nice. I would have liked someone to talk to."

"If I promise not to say anything bitchy about Sebastian, can we talk now?" Tina asked nervously. It had dawned on her after Nationals that they'd all be going their separate ways soon and she didn't want her friendship with Blaine to end with them at odds.

Blaine smiled slightly. "At least you didn't call him 'Slushy-Warbler'. I guess that's an improvement."

"I guess this is like last year, with Kurt, all over again," Tina said in an attempt at being understanding. "I mean, after graduation you'll be going in different directions and all."

Blaine pushed his food around his plate without eating. "Except that I thought that Kurt and I would still be together even after he left. Once Sebastian and I leave Lima… it's over."

Tina tried to focus on the fact that Blaine was in pain, not on what she personally thought was for the best. She couldn't keep from bringing Kurt up though. "I know that you've said you and Kurt are over, but you are still friends. Don't you think that there might still something left there worth saving?"

Blaine dropped his fork onto his plate and Tina thought she might have pushed too hard. He didn't speak for a very long moment.

"I'm not the same person as I was last year," Blaine finally said. "Sebastian taught me that I need to do what's best for me and not worry so much about making everyone else happy first."

Tina was rather taken aback. "I thought you and Kurt were happy together. You weren't?"

Blaine shook his head and sighed. "It's not that we weren't happy together. I wouldn't trade that for anything. It's just… it's like going to New York. That's all Kurt. I never gave a lot of thought to what I wanted until after we broke up. It was always about him."

"You don't want to go to New York?" Tina asked, confused.

Blaine kind of hunched his shoulders as if, even now, he was worried that he was being judged. "I wanted to go to LA, but I didn't get into school there."

Tina started to ask why she was just now hearing about this and then realized with a pang of regret exactly why she hadn't. "Where is Sebastian going to school?" she asked. She couldn't help but wonder if that was why Blaine had a sudden interest in LA.

"I don't know," Blaine said. "We don't really talk about the future. He's going to Parris with his mother for the summer, but after that…" he shrugged. "I wanted to go to LA for me."

"You can always move to LA after you graduate," Tina offered. "And you have friends in New York, so that should make it a little easier, right?"

"You mean, Kurt is in New York," Blaine said. He sounded more tired than upset.

"I always thought that you and Kurt were the perfect couple," she said. "It makes we wonder what hope there is for the rest of us if even you two can't stay together."

Blaine cocked his head to one side and gave Tina a contemplative look. "Do you still think about you and Mike getting back together?"

Tina tensed. "Why? What did he say?"

"Just that you had talked, but that he didn't think it was a good idea to get back together right now," Blaine said.

Tina wished she had some mystery meat to stab and wondered briefly if she could borrow Blaine's since he didn't seem inclined to eat it. "He said that we've 'grown apart'," Tina said, making quote marks in the air. "What does that even mean?"

Blaine either didn't have an answer for her or was too afraid to voice it.

"It means that he's met someone else and has no interest in 'been there, done that'," Kitty said, sliding into the seat next to Blaine. She pointed her fork at Tina. "You need to pack your bags and move on, girlfriend. Find some new guy that will put your ex to shame and say to hell with the one that dumped you."

Tina was furious that Kitty had interrupted the first civil conversation she'd had with Blaine in weeks. "I'm not taking relationship advice from someone who thought dating Noah Puckerman was a good idea."

"Dating Puck was a very bad idea," Kitty purred, with the emphasis on 'bad', "and I enjoyed every minute of it."

"That is so wrong," Tina said.

"And pining after a gay guy for half the year isn't?" Kitty said, unruffled.

"I've already apologized for that," Tina said. She hated how Kitty turned everything anyone did or said around and put it in the worst possible light. "Blaine understands. I just missed Mike and didn't have anyone else at the time."

"So what's changed?" Kitty asked. "Sounds like you still miss the ex and still don't have anyone else."

Blaine looked decidedly uncomfortable, but Tina wasn't sure how to get the conversation turned around. "At least I'm moving on. You'll still be stuck here next year. If you're lucky, Marley might finally kick Jake to curb and you'll get your chance to be his sloppy seconds."

Kitty grinned maliciously. "Once I get my claws into him, he won't have any interest in any other girl."

"You're name fits you," Tina said. "You have the morals of an alley cat."

"Morality is highly over rated," Kitty said without losing her grin. Tina longed to smack it off her face.

"I need to study for my next exam," Blaine said in a rush as he stood and made his escape.

"See what you've done now?" Tina said in a huff. She and Blaine had actually been making progress in patching up their friendship. She'd managed to keep her opinions to herself and not criticize Sebastian for most of the conversation. Now, thanks to Kitty, he was probably scarred for life.

"Good, now we can have a little girl talk," Kitty said. She slid over into Blaine's seat so that she and Tina were across from each other.

"What would we have to talk about?" Tina asked warily.

"Call me an incurable romantic, so I'm going to give you a little free advice," Kitty said with a dreamy smile. "You need to get you head out of your ass and realize that Blaine is in-love with that Warbler-boy of his."

"He's never said that," Tina said, narrowing her eyes. Just who did Kitty think she was? "He loves Kurt. They're just having a rough spell, but that will change once Blaine goes to New York."

"Even if I thought that were remotely possible, and I don't, Blaine and Kurt getting back together doesn't mean that you and Mike will," Kitty said.

"I know that," Tina said, but she felt a little queasy inside.

"And if Blaine and Kurt never get together, that doesn't mean that someday Mike won't reconsider and want to try again with you, though I think he'd be an idiot if he did," Kitty said.

Tina swallowed hard. How had Kitty figured out her secret thoughts? She kept hoping that, since Mike and Blaine were friends, if Blaine and Kurt got back together, Mike would see that his high school sweetheart was the perfect one for him. But if Blaine and Kurt couldn't keep it together, what hope did she have for her and Mike?

"As if I'd want him back," Tina said. She hated that her voice shook slightly.

"We all know that I'm no poster child for BFFs, but even I can see that Blaine needs someone to cry with him over this Warbler of his, not tell him that the pain will all magically go away if he jumps in bed with his ex as soon as he hits New York."

"I never said that," Tina gasped. She had a sinking feeling that that was exactly the impression she had been giving though.

Kitty grinned triumphantly, as if she could read Tina's innermost thoughts. "Personally, Blaine and Warbler-boy were so sickly sweet at the prom that I could feel a cavity coming on. It's too bad that Warbler-boy chickened out on that song he was supposed to sing at the end. Or maybe he was just too horny to wait around that long."

"Wait? What are you talking about?" Tina asked in total confusion.

"That last song that Brittany sang – that was supposed to have been Warbler-boy as a surprise for your gay-BFF." Kitty frowned slightly. "Brit said something about her cat being disappointed by the pretty bird" Kitty shook her head as she stood up. "And she made it into MIT…"

Tina watched Kitty flounce off completely befuddled. She wondered if all blond cheerleaders were that confusing.

Blaine stared at the picture of him and Sebastian at the Warbler's party with tears in his eyes. He'd known that it wouldn't be easy to end things when the time came, but he hadn't expected it to feel like someone was tearing his heart out a piece at a time. He'd never felt this helpless. There wasn't anyone to blame, no appeals to be made, no hope of reconciliation.

"Sweetheart, it's almost time to go. You don't want to be late for your own graduation."

Blaine looked up at his mother without really seeing her. It took him a moment to realize what she had said. "Yeah, I'll be down in a minute."

Instead of leaving, his mother walked in and picked up the picture that Blaine had spent the past half-hour staring at. "He's a handsome one. You look good together."

"We did," Blaine said.

His mother put the picture down and sat on the edge of the bed next to Blaine. "You look more like someone going to the gallows than his high school graduation."

Blaine knew he would have to put his façade back in place before he left his room, but he didn't have the energy at the moment. "I feel like I'm losing more than I'm gaining."

"Life is full of loses, unfortunately. We can only hope that something better is waiting down the road and we don't miss it because we're too busy wallowing in the past," his mother said gently.

"What if there isn't anything better? What if fate is just playing one big joke on all of us?" Blaine said morosely.

"Tell me one thing that you have control over that you would change, right now, if you could," his mother said.

"I don't have control over anything," Blaine said. "I can't make CalArts accept me. I can't turn New York into LA. I can't make Sebastian go to New York just because I'm going there. I can't turn Cooper into a reasonable human being that I won't feel like throttling after a week of living together."

His mother laughed a bit at the last comment. "I agree about Cooper and Sebastian. But there is no reason that you can't keep trying to get into a music program in LA. It doesn't have to be CalArts, does it? Surely there are other schools that have decent music programs."

"But I've been accepted at NYADA. Wouldn't it be irresponsible to throw away a position in one school just because I'd rather live somewhere else? I mean, LA will still be there when I graduate."

"Would it really hurt to take a year off before starting college?" his mother asked. "I'm sure you'll be able to find a job so that you don't turn into a complete beach bum."

Blaine looked at his mom as if unsure whether she were really serious or not. "What would dad say?"

"Oh, I can handle your father. We just won't tell him until you're on the other side of the country," his mother said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Blaine couldn't help but laugh. His mother never ceased to surprise him. "Maybe I'll just see how this summer goes first. I may hate it in LA."

"Just so you know what all your options are," his mother said.

"Hey, Squirt, you better get a move on before Dad leaves without you," Cooper said breathlessly from the doorway. He must have run up the stairs. "You're not wearing that, are you? I thought you and Kurt had broken up."

"Go tell your father that we'll be right down," their mother said to Cooper.

"I'll remind your father that you're driving yourself," his mother said to Blaine once Cooper had disappeared. "I'm sure you have plans for afterwards that don't involve hanging out with the 'rents."

"I'm not sure," Blaine said. He hadn't made any plans and he didn't really feel like partying.

"Well, tonight is yours. I won't hold you to a curfew, but I do expect you to behave responsible."

Blaine gave his mother a hug. "Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

Blaine checked his reflection in the mirror and made sure his façade was firmly in place before following his mother down the stairs.

Blaine tried to hold back the tears, but they continued to seep out to soak the pillow underneath his head. He had no idea when Sebastian was leaving for Parris; he'd been afraid to ask, but he had a feeling this would be the last time they were together. They were in the same hotel room that they'd had after the prom and checkout was at noon. A few more hours and they'd go their separate ways.

Sebastian stirred slightly, but settled back into sleep curled against Blaine's back as usual.

Blaine didn't want to sleep. He wanted to hold on to every minute he had left with Sebastian, not miss a single one. He had told Sebastian that they wouldn't say goodbye, just act like they normally did, but he didn't know how he was going to walk away knowing this time was for good.

"We could run away and join the circus," Sebastian said, breathing softly on Blaine's shoulder. "I could be a lion tamer and you could be a trapeze artist."

Blaine chuckled at the image, despite the tears. "You just want to see me in tights."

"Busted," Sebastian replied. "How about all decked out in top hat and tails as the ring master?"

"That would be you," Blaine replied. "You look quite dashing dressed to the nines."

"Told you I looked good in a tux," Sebastian said smugly.

"We could go to Alaska and become gold prospectors," Blaine suggested, trying to think of the most outrageous thing he could.

Sebastian shifted closer. "All that digging would ruin my manicure. How about entertainers on a cruise ship? I could be a magician and you could be my beautiful assistant."

"Do you know any magic tricks?" Blaine asked, amused despite himself.

"I'm sure I could learn," Sebastian replied.

"Why do all your fantasies have me wearing skintight or skimpy clothes?" Blaine asked.

"Hmm, not all of them. My best fantasies have you wearing nothing at all," Sebastian said.

"The only profession that allows that is porn star," Blaine said dryly.

"Hey, there's an idea. We could set up a web cam and charge people to watch us have sex," Sebastian said. "I bet we'd be millionaires in less than a year."

"They do say you should do what you love for a living," Blaine replied with a chuckle.

"It's settled then. We just have to think of names for ourselves," Sebastian said.

They spent the next hour coming up with ridiculous names for themselves and then 'practiced' for their new profession. Finally exhausted, Blaine feel asleep wrapped in his lover's arms.

The next morning, Blaine awoke alone. The note propped against Blaine's phone simply read, 'I couldn't watch while you walked away'.


	13. Chapter 13

"Come on, Uncle Bas. We're going to be late," six-year-old Allie pleaded with Sebastian. Technically, he and Allie's mother were cousins, not siblings, but Ana thought uncle made more sense considering the age difference.

"Have a hot date with Prince Charming? You do know that he's taken, right?" Sebastian asked, less than pleased to be forced to endure a day at the 'happiest place on earth'.

"We have to get there early to see Tiana," Allie said. She held out a piece of paper with a meticulously written schedule of when and where each princess would appear that day.

Sebastian sighed as he pulled on his shoes. He could hear Ana yelling at the ten-year-old twin boys to get a move on. At least he didn't have to deal with the twin terrors, as he and Allie called them. Ana had already maneuvered him into following Allie around the park while she got autographs from all the princesses.

"You have your book and a pen?" Sebastian asked with a sigh.

Allie presented a small shoulder bag with a grin. "All ready. Mom says we can get a map when we get there."

"Wonderful," Sebastian said as he let himself be dragged down the hallway by the quarter size whirlwind dressed in a bright blue dress. "Who are you supposed to be, anyway?"

Allie huffed a bit at his lack of knowledge. "Merida. She's the highland princess and can shoot a bow better than any of the boys."

"Really. You going to take up bow hunting next?" Sebastian asked, slightly amused at the image of the tiny girl holding a bow that would be taller than she was.

"Not hunting," Allie said, scrunching her nose. "But I bet I can beat them." She nodded towards her brothers who throwing something back and forth between them as their mother tried to gather what they'd need for the day.

Sebastian snatched the wadded up piece of paper from the air as they passed the boys who yelled in protest. "I believe your mother asked you to get in the car," he said as he and Allie walked out the side door.

The twins groaned in unison as they trooped out the door.

"I don't know how you do that," Ana said with a sigh as she grabbed the last bag from the counter and followed them out.

"Never underestimate the power of healthy fear," Sebastian replied. "Everyone has to sleep sometime."

Ana rolled her eyes. "I don't want to know."

"The boys are in the back, Uncle Bas," Allie informed Sebastian as soon as he reached the family mini-van.

Sebastian heaved a sigh as he climbed in and proceeded to toss the boys over the back of the middle seat to get them out of 'his' seat. At this point, it had become a game for the boys who loved rough-housing.

"One of these days, one of them is going to get hurt doing that," Ana said, but didn't bother to try to stop them.

Her husband, Freddie, just grinned. "They're boys," he said, as if that explained everything.

Allie took her place next to Sebastian who stretched his legs out from the back seat past the shorter middle seat.

The boys began making fun of their sister's princess outfit, telling her that she was more likely to end up with a toad than a prince.

"I don't need a prince to be a princess. You two will most likely end up growing old together though, because nobody else is ever going to put up with you," Allie said with her chin raised.

Sebastian gave her a fist bump and Allie grinned happily at the unspoken praise.

"Bas, you're going to stay with Allie today, right?" Ana asked once they were underway.

"Apparently, we are on a mission to meet all the princesses today," Sebastian said in answer.

"Boring," one of the twins said, dragging the word out. Sebastian had never bothered to learn which was which. He just called them Thing-1 and Thing-2.

"Uncle Bas would rather meet the princes," Thing-1 added with a sly smile.

"Which prince do you like best?" Allie asked innocently. She didn't seem to see anything odd about Sebastian liking boys instead of girls.

"Hmm, can't say I'm up on my Disney Princes," Sebastian replied thoughtfully. "How about I get back to you on that?"

"Do you have a boyfriend, Uncle Bas?" Allie asked. "Can we meet him?"

Sebastian felt a pang as he realized that Blaine was probably still in LA. School didn't start for a few weeks, so he probably hadn't left for New York yet. "No boyfriend, short-stuff. Maybe I'll find my prince at the park."

Thing-1 made smooching sounds while Thing-2 gagged. "Kissing is gross. You'd get cooties."

"Mommy and Daddy kiss all the time," Allie pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're grown-ups," Thing-2 said.

"Give it a couple of years and you'll change your tune," Freddie said with a laugh.

The twins looked at each other and both started gagging.

"Do you think kissing is gross, Uncle Bas?" Allie asked softly so that the twins, who were arguing about what ride to go on first, couldn't hear her and make fun.

"Not if it's the right person," Sebastian said.

"I'll let you get the prince's autograph's in my book, if you want," Allie offered. "Maybe one of them will be your new boyfriend."

"You should get Goofy's autograph," Thing-1 said with a smug grin. "You'd be perfect together."

"Goofy is a dog," Allie scoffed, not seeing the humor.

"Actually, I've always preferred Chip and Dale," Sebastian said. "I like the way they dance."

"Bas!" Ana scolded as she tried to hide a smile. None of the kids got the reference.

"If you like to dance, there are some clubs you should try," Freddie offered. "There are a couple of guys at work that are always talking about clubbing."

"Can you teach me to dance, Uncle Bas?" Allie asked hopefully. "Daddy only knows 'stand and sway'."

Freddie shrugged sheepishly. "Arthur Murray, I'm not."

"I think I can remember how the fox trot goes," Sebastian said easily. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time before school starts."

The twins groaned at the mention of school, while Allie bounced with excitement. She'd get to go to 'real' school this year with her brothers.

Before long, they were pulling into the Disneyland parking lot. Sebastian endured another lecture on taking care of his young charge from Ana while the boys dragged them all towards the entrance. As soon as he had procured a map of the park and oriented himself, Allie was ready with her first 'appointment' of the day.

By lunch time, Allie had half-a-dozen autographs from various princesses (though not Merida yet) plus a dozen miscellaneous characters that they'd run across. Allie graciously agreed to stop for lunch, though Sebastian suspected that her batteries needed recharging more than his did. By the time they'd finally found Merida, Allie was running on empty and Sebastian started carrying her around on his shoulders between princess sightings. She loved being able to see over the heads of the crowd that she was normally lost in and spent her time directing him from her new 'pilot's seat'.

"Uncle Bas, it's Jasmine," Allie squealed in delight as she pointed off the their right. "The Magic Carpet is with her, too."

Sebastian wondered how it was possible for a normally no-nonsense six-year-old to believe that a walking rug could possibly be an actual Magic Carpet. He idly wondered how difficult it was to walk in that costume as he let Allie down to get her autograph.

The princess gushed over Allie's dress as she accepted the autograph book and signed as Jasmine. At first, he didn't notice the prince that had been previously hidden by the walking rug, but after Jasmine finished, Allie skipped over to Aladdin to get his signature as well. Sebastian stopped breathing as Aladdin knelt with a grin to sign Allie's book. It wasn't until Allie skipped back over to Sebastian that the prince looked up and his gaze met Sebastian's.

"Uncle Bas? Are you okay?" Allie asked in concern.

Sebastian tore his gaze away from the prince's and forced himself to focus on Allie. "I'm fine. Just got distracted for a moment."

He waited until Allie had put her book back in her bag before putting her back on his shoulders. He automatically searched for Aladdin again and found him sneaking glances his way as he signed another child's book. Sebastian had no idea what to do. Sebastian wanted to talk to curly-haired man, but he was working and didn't need the distraction.

Sebastian finally nodded in acknowledgement and turned to follow Allie's directions for their next princess. He shouldn't have been surprised at the accidental meeting. After all, Blaine routinely took jobs singing at amusement parks. It was only natural that he'd find a job at Disneyland.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Cooper asked in irritation as Blaine slammed another cabinet door closed.

"Nothing," Blaine snapped and then realized that if his normally oblivious brother realized something was wrong, he must really be on edge. "I just ran into someone I didn't expect at the park."

Cooper perked up, scenting an interesting story. "Someone from Ohio?"

"Like I'd know anyone else," Blaine muttered, more to himself than his brother. Until two months ago, he hadn't set foot outside of Ohio except for the occasional vacation.

"Male or female?" Cooper asked.

"Can we not talk about this?" Blaine begged, knowing that it was useless.

"Come on, squirt. Tell big brother all the gory details," Cooper encouraged.

"Don't call me that," Blaine said automatically.

"Is it a guy? It is, isn't it?" Cooper said. He rubbed his lower lip as if trying to solve a puzzle, not that he actually did puzzles. "An old flame? It wasn't that Kurt guy, was it?"

Blaine closed his eyes and sighed. "No, it wasn't Kurt."

Cooper gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "You were just starting to dress normally. I'd hate to see a setback."

Blaine chose not to respond. Cooper actually wasn't a bad roommate. The only problem they had was when, like now, Cooper decided to play the big brother card.

"So, you've only had, like, two boyfriends. What was the other guy's name?" He started rattling off 'S' names, none of which were even close.

"Sebastian," Blaine finally interrupted. "His name is Sebastian."

"Right, that one. So, what was Sebastian doing at Disneyland?" Cooper asked, making one of those leaps in logic that had Blaine wondering if his brother was actually related to Brittany. "He wasn't with another guy, was he?"

"No, he was with a little girl. His niece, or something," Blaine said. There wasn't much use in denying who it was. Cooper wasn't going to give up until he knew everything. "It was just… awkward."

"So, what's he doing in LA?" Cooper asked.

"I guess that he's visiting family," Blaine said. "Nothing to do with me."

"Well, what did he say?" Cooper prompted when Blaine didn't continue.

"We didn't talk," Blaine replied. "I was working, so…"

"Wait, he hasn't called, texted, nothing? No wonder you're pissed," Cooper said.

"It's not like that," Blaine said in exasperation. "We broke up. What is there to say now?"

"I don't know, 'I miss you', 'I was an ass for leaving', 'What time do you get off so we can –"

"I get the idea," Blaine interrupted. "We broke up for a reason and nothing has changed."

'You broke up because you were going to be a thousand miles apart," Cooper said. "You're in the same city now."

"But for how long?" Blaine asked. "School starts in a few weeks and we'll be right back where we started."

"You could stay here," Cooper reminded him. "You love it here. New York is over rated anyway."

Blaine had to admit that Cooper was right about one thing, he did love in LA. He loved the weather, the people, the beach. He loved his job at the coffee shop playing and singing three nights a week. He loved karaoke night with other cast from Disneyland. He even loved playing Aladdin for hundreds of kids a day.

"It would be irresponsible to give up a scholarship to NYADA on the off chance that I might get into a school here next year," Blaine said. He could almost hear his father's voice as he spoke.

"There are more schools in LA than just CalArts," Cooper said. "Or you could let me introduce you to a few people. We could become the famous Anderson brothers, stars of the big screen."

"Of course, you'd get top billing," Blaine said with a hint of a smile. They'd had this conversation several times before.

"Of course," Cooper said, unabashed. "I am the oldest."

"I'll remind you of that when I'm getting cast as the dashing hero and you're playing someone's father," Blaine said.

"Bah, it'll never happen," Cooper said, shaking his head. "Now, about this Sebastian guy. You gonna call him?"

Blaine should have realized that Cooper would get back to that. "It was hard enough breaking up the first time. I don't think either of us wants to go through that again."

"What happened to my brother, the incurable romantic?" Cooper asked. "You like this guy, you should fight to keep him."

"Forgive me if I hesitate about taking advice from a guy who has had at least three girlfriends since I moved in," Blaine said.

"That's just because I haven't found 'the one' yet," Cooper said. "When I do, you can bet I'm not going to let a little thing like distance keep us apart."

Blaine decided not to point out the obvious contradiction in that statement. "I'll think about it, okay?"

Cooper sighed in defeat. He apparently had learned that 'I'll think about it' translated into 'Get off my back before I throw something at you'. "Fine, but quit slamming the cabinet doors. The neighbors are going to start to think we're having a lovers quarrel."

"The neighbors know that we're brothers," Blaine said with a sigh. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was getting late. "I'm going to take a shower. The cast is meeting for karaoke tonight."

"Maybe I'll come by and we can sing a duet. The audience would love it," Cooper said.

"Sure, as long as it's not Duran Duran," Blaine replied as he walked to the bathroom.

Cooper waited until he heard the shower start running before hunting around for Blaine's cell phone. As he expected, Sebastian's number was still listed. He copied the number into his own phone and then sent a quick text, 'He'll be at the Silver Fox Tavern tonight – Cooper Anderson'.

Sebastian shook his head in exasperation as he receive yet another text from Blaine's brother giving him a rundown on Blaine's daily schedule. Tonight, Blaine was working at some place called Beans and Things. He had to admit that his ex was keeping busy. He wondered if Blaine had any idea that his brother was texting him and decided the answer was 'no'. Maybe if he answered, Cooper would stop harassing him.

'If he wants to see me, he has my number.' – Sebastian.

'Well, obviously, or I wouldn't have been able to get it from his phone.' – Cooper

'I hate slamming doors. Please go see him.' – Cooper

'BTW, are you just visiting LA or living here now?' - Cooper

Sebastian rolled his eyes. He was started to think that Blaine had overstated his brother's mental acuity. That should have been the first thing he asked.

"Who's Cooper?" Ana asked as she leaned over the back of the sofa next to where Sebastian was sitting. "Is he hot?"

"No idea. Never met the guy," Sebastian replied. He slid the phone into his pocket. "Didn't your mother teach you that it's rude to read people's text?"

"My mother doesn't even know how to answer a cell phone, let alone text someone."

"Not the point," Sebastian said. Ana came around the sofa and collapsed next to him with a tired sigh. "Kids all in tucked in for the night?"

"Allie's asleep. Freddie is reading the boys some pirate story," Ana said. "We'll probably be treated to a re-enactment of Mutiny on the Bounty tomorrow."

"That Build a Bear workshop with Allie is looking better than ever," Sebastian replied.

"She has you wrapped around her little finger," Ana said with a laugh as Sebastian scowled. "Oh, don't deny it. She talked you into taking her to the fireworks at Disneyland, didn't she? We both know how much you want to go back there."

"Yeah, well," Sebastian didn't have a good answer to that one. Thanks to Cooper, he knew that Blaine didn't work that late at Disneyland. There was little chance of running into him again. All the kids had been disappointed to miss the fireworks when they'd gone last week, but none of them had the energy to stay up that late either. The boys were going on a sleep over at a friend's, so Sebastian was giving his cousin and her husband a free evening to do whatever it was married people did when the kids were gone.

"So, who is Cooper? He seems awfully nosy for someone you've never met," Ana commented.

"Not unlike a certain person sitting in close proximity to me at this very moment," Sebastian said.

Ana shoulder bumped him, unrepentant. "Come on, give. A year ago, I'd have been yelling at you about breaking curfew and spending all your time out picking up random guys. Now, you spend most of your time with a six year old and, as cute as she is, that just doesn't jive with the guy I'd grown to dread seeing."

"Nice to know what you really think of me," Sebastian said, though he took no offense. He had been a bit of a wild child the last time his mother had pawned him off on Ana.

"You know I love you," Ana said. "You can't blame me for being curious about what changed. All your mother said was that she was tired of you moping around her house and maybe a change of scenery would help. Can't say that it has though."

"I don't mope," Sebastian said. "Tried clubbing when I was in Parris. Not my fault the guys are all frogs."

"Very funny," Ana said, rolling her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me anything. Don't think I'm letting this go, though."

"God forbid," Sebastian replied.

"What's got you frowning so hard?" Freddie asked Ana as he pulled back the bedclothes.

Ana sat at her dresser, brushing her long hair that she normally kept pulled up and out of the way. It was her one time to relax without being harassed by children. "Just thinking about how sad Sebastian seems. He won't talk about it."

"And that's driving you insane with curiosity," Freddie finished for her.

Ana smiled at Freddie in the mirror. "Of course it is. Something bad happened. Anyone can see that. I just wish I knew what. And then there is this Cooper guy that keeps texting, but when I asked about him, Sebastian said he'd never met him."

"Is that strange?" Freddie asked. "The way the kids use social media, they probably haven't met half the people they claim as friends."

"I saw some of his text and it's not like strangers talking." She paused for a moment as she tried to remember what the text said. "Actually, it was like they were talking about someone else. Maybe someone they both know."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Freddie asked.

Ana smiled again. "What do you think?"

The next morning, as soon as Sebastian left for his daily run, Ana made her move. He never took his cell phone with him, so she quickly copied Cooper's number and scrolled through the text messages which had started the day after their visit to Disneyland. Sebastian had only replied once and the whole one-sided conversation was odd. She didn't know who Cooper Anderson was, but she was going to find out.

'What do you want with my cousin Sebastian? – Ana'

It didn't take long to get a response. 'Are you related to the little girl at Disneyland?' – Cooper

It was an odd question, but Ana didn't see any harm in answering. 'Yes, she's my daughter. Sebastian was watching her for me.' – Ana

'My brother signed her book. He was Aladdin. He said she was real cute.' – Cooper

"What does that have to do with Sebastian?' – Ana.

"Seb used to date my brother.' – Cooper

'If you're going to shorten it, we use Bas. Who is your brother and when did they date?' – Ana

'Aladdin, except his name is Blaine. They broke up right after graduation because of the distance thing. He didn't tell you any of this?' – Cooper

'I wouldn't have had to steal your number to find this all out if he had.' – Ana. She hoped that Blaine got the brains in the family, because Cooper didn't seem like the brightest bulb in the box.

'I've been trying to get Bas to go see him, but he won't even answer me.' – Cooper

Well, that explained the daily schedules Cooper had been sending.

'If they broke up, why would you want to get them back together?' – Ana

'Because my brother is miserable. He hadn't gone out with anyone since he got here and I know he's been asked. He's an Anderson, after all.' – Cooper

Ana hoped that Cooper got all the arrogance in the family. 'If Bas hasn't gone to see him, he has to have a reason.' – Ana

'Well, he won't talk to me. Maybe he'll talk to you. I just want to see my brother happy again. His performance sucks when he's down.' – Cooper

'Yeah, well, I'm tired of listening to 'Daylight' by Maroon 5 all day.' – Ana admitted. Sebastian didn't know that she'd noticed, but even with the headphones on, she had.

'See, they belong together. We've got to do something.' – Cooper

Ana wasn't convince, but at least she had a better idea of what had made her cousin so down. He had a broken heart. The question remained, should she try to get him back with his ex or not?

'I've got to go, but I'll think about what you said.' – Ana

Allie wondered in with her Princess Merida doll, humming a familiar tune. "Is Uncle Bas back yet? He said we could go to Build a Bear today."

"Did he?" Ana asked. He'd said something about it last night, but she hadn't really been paying too much attention. As long as she knew Ana was with Bas, she didn't worry about where they went. Even when he'd been going through his wild phase, he'd never done anything inappropriate in front of the children. "He's still out on his run. I expect he'll be home soon."

"Okay. Can Merida and I have a cookie while we wait?" Allie asked. She climbed onto a stool at the kitchen counter without waiting for an answer.

Ana poured two glasses of milk and pulled out their favorite cookies, the ones she hide from the boys who had no appreciation for gourmet cookies. "You know, Uncle Bas is going to move into the dorms soon. You won't get to see him every day, then." She had tried to talk Sebastian into staying with them, but it was probably for the best that he get the full college experience by staying in the dorms. It wasn't like he'd be that far away.

"He'd never get any homework done with Thing-1 and Thing-2 in the house," Allie said, unconcerned. "He said we could go to the zoo when it gets cooler. Even the animals don't like being outside during the day right now."

Ana had to hold back her smile at how Allie was picking up Sebastian's mannerism. She hoped they could skip the wild years though. "That sounds like a good plan." Ana hesitated to pump her daughter for information, but she couldn't help but wonder if Sebastian ever talked to her, even if it was just in vague terms. "Sweetie, does Uncle Bas ever talk about his boyfriend from high school? I think we may have seen him at Disneyland that day."

Allie nodded, her mouth full of cookie. "He lives with his brother here, but he's going to college in New York in the fall. Uncle Bas misses him, but he says it's too far to… to… keep a relationship going."

"He told you that?" Ana asked in surprise. That was an awful lot to unload on a six-year-old.

"No, I heard him arguing with someone on the phone," Allie said. Then she looked a little worried. "I wasn't trying to listen, but he was kind of loud, even with the door closed."

"Do you know who he was talking to?" Ana asked. As far as she knew, Sebastian wasn't keeping in touch with any of his old friends and he certainly hadn't made an effort to make new ones.

"Someone called Niff," Allie said. "That's a strange name, isn't it? I wonder if it's a guy or a girl?"

"I have no idea," Ana admitted. She'd never heard the name before either.

"Are my ears burning?" Sebastian asked as he jogged into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Maybe they're sunburned," Allie suggested, not getting the reference.

"He means, 'are we talking about him behind his back'," Ana replied. "Of course, what else do I have to spend my day gossiping about?"

"I was telling momma about your friend Niff and how it's such a funny name," Allie said.

"We were trying to figure out if it was a guy or a girl," Ana added, not elaborating on why they were discussing the subject.

"Niff is actually two guys, Nick and Jeff. They're a matched set," Sebastian said with a grimace. "Nick thinks he can do everything better than anyone else and Jeff is an incurable romantic."

"Ah, the dreaded combined names," Ana said.

"What is that?" Allie asked.

"It's what people do when you're dating someone," Sebastian said. "They put the two people's names together to make one name."

"Did you and your boyfriend have a name?" Allie asked.

"They called us Seblaine," Sebastian admitted. He narrowed his eyes at Ana when she started to chuckle. "No one dared call us that in front of me though. Blaine told me about it."

"Is he the one you saw at Disneyland?" Ana asked, hoping to catch Sebastian off guard. She should have known that was next to impossible.

"Pumping the innocent for information, are we?" Sebastian asked.

Ana wasn't going to be put off. "We use the resources available to us. If someone would just talk to me, it wouldn't be necessary."

"Fine. I saw my ex at Disneyland. It was awkward as hell. What more do you want to know?" Sebastian said through gritted teeth.

"Was it a bad breakup?" Ana asked. She wasn't going to back down now that she had Sebastian talking, however reluctantly it might be.

"No, we were going to schools on opposite sides of the country so we decided to end things before it could get ugly. He'd already been through that once and I agree the long distance thing wasn't really workable."

"You're both in the same city now, though. Have you tried to call him?" Ana asked. She had to be missing something.

"He's just here for the summer. He'll be going to New York in a few weeks to start college. Anything else you want to know?" Sebastian was practically biting each word off as he spoke.

Ana could tell she was on thin ice, but she might as well go for broke. "Who's Cooper?"

"Blaine's airhead brother who's been trying to get us back together. You'd probably like him. You're both interfering busybodies."

Ana had a feeling that he would have said something a lot less flattering if Allie hadn't been raptly listening.

"Thank you. That explains a lot," Ana said with a sweet smile.

"If the interrogation is over, I'll take my shower now," Sebastian snapped.

Ana waved him on.

"What's an interrogation?" Allie asked softly as Sebastian disappeared.

"Asking questions," Ana said distractedly. She wondered why Cooper was trying to get his brother and Sebastian back together if Blaine was going to be leaving in just a few weeks. Was the guy a complete douchebag? One thing was clear though, this breakup had affected her cousin deeply. The question was, should she help Cooper get them back together or work at keeping them apart?


	14. Chapter 14

"Why don't you just call him?" Jeff asked Blaine as they waited for Nick to bring the next round of drinks. They both winced as the current karaoke singer hit another bad note, not that she'd managed to hit too many good ones so far.

"And say what?" Blaine asked. He was beginning to regret telling his friends that he'd seen Sebastian. Jeff kept trying to find ways for them have a 'happily ever after' while Nick had cast Sebastian as the villain and his suggestions ran accordingly.

"Don't you want to see him?" Jeff asked as if that were incomprehensible.

"Nothing has changed," Blaine said, for what he felt like was the hundredth time. "Why put ourselves through that again? It hurt enough the first time."

"Nick and I weren't going to the same school when we first got together," Jeff reminded Blaine, "but we worked it out so we could."

"That's great for you," Blaine said, sincerely glad that his friends were happily together. "You had both applied to USC though, it just wasn't your first choice. As far as I know, Sebastian didn't get in any school anywhere near New York."

Jeff squirmed in his seat, obviously holding something back. Blaine wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

"You get Jeff straightened out yet?" Nick said as he slid into the seat beside his boyfriend. "I keep telling him Sebastian is a lost cause. If he really wants to help, he should set you up with someone that won't turn out to be a asshole."

"Sebastian isn't an asshole," Blaine said, only slightly irritated. Nick and Sebastian's rivalry was well known. Nick wasn't going to pass up a chance to put his rival in the worst light.

"Yeah, then why didn't he come to LA with you for the summer?" Nick asked. "He could have spent a week in Parris to appease his mother and then met you out here."

After seeing Sebastian at Disneyland, Blaine had wondered the same thing, but it wasn't worth dwelling on. "It doesn't matter. It would have ended the same, just a few weeks later."

"You don't even want to know why he's here?" Nick asked. Jeff elbowed Nick and gave him a warning look.

Blaine could see that Nick wanted to say something that Jeff didn't want him to say. Did he really want to know what it was?

"So, what are your plans?" Jeff asked, changing the subject. "Still going to NYADA?"

Blaine shrugged. "It's either that or bum around for a year and hope I get in somewhere next year."

"Of course you'll get in somewhere. And you have a job, so you're not exactly bumming," Jeff said.

"You sound like Cooper," Blaine said with a forced laugh. "He keeps coming up with reasons for me to stay. I think he's taking this brother-bonding thing a little too seriously."

"If you don't want to live with your brother, you could move in with us," Jeff offered. "We have two bedrooms and, uh, I doubt will be using them both."

"At least, not as bedrooms," Nick said with a smirk.

Jeff ducked his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Thanks, but Cooper's actually a descent roommate," Blaine said. "At least, until he remembers that he's the 'big brother'. He can drive me crazy with his ridiculous advice." Rather like a couple of friends of his, but he kept that to himself.

They talked about their various experiences in the city and Blaine had to admit, at least to himself, that having his friends here was a plus in the 'reasons to stay' column. Every time he tried to convince himself to stay though, he heard his father's voice telling him how irresponsible it was to turn down a scholarship to a good school to work at an amusement park. Of course, his dad didn't think too much of Cooper's life choices either, but seemed to have given up on changing his oldest son.

After Jeff excused himself to go the bathroom, Blaine curiosity finally got the better of him despite his misgivings. "So, what is it that Jeff doesn't want you to tell me?" he asked Nick.

Nick grinned wryly. "Picked up on that, did you?"

"He's worse than me at hiding what he's feeling." Blaine said.

"You sure you want to hear this? You aren't going to like it," Nick said. "It's about Sebastian and why he's in LA."

Blaine took a deep breath before nodding. He probably didn't want to know, but he couldn't let it go now.

"Just don't tell Jeff where you heard it," Nick said.

"Just tell me," Blaine prompted before he lost his nerve.

"You know how Dalton post where everyone is going to college before graduation?"

Blaine nodded again with a sinking feeling. He'd never asked Sebastian where he was going to school. He'd always assumed Sebastian would tell him if it were somewhere close to where he was going.

"Sebastian made it on the UCLA Lacrosse team. He'll be moving into the dorms at the end of the month," Nick said.

Blaine's heart skipped a few beats and his throat felt tight. In all their time together, Sebastian hadn't said anything about going to school in LA.

"I know you really liked the guy, but I just don't think he's relationship material," Nick said, almost gently. "He probably never planned for it to go past graduation."

Blaine swallowed hard. He couldn't help but wonder how true that was. He wouldn't have believed it when they were together, but now? Maybe Sebastian had only agreed to be together because he knew there was a time limit on it. He certainly didn't seem inclined to contact Blaine now that they were in the same city again.

Jeff rejoined them and it only took one glance for him to figure out what they'd been talking about. "You told him," Jeff accused Nick.

"He asked," Nick said in his defense. "You want me to lie?"

Jeff scowled at Nick before turning to Blaine in concern. "Don't listen to Nick. You know he and Sebastian have never gotten along."

"That doesn't change facts," Blaine said. "Sebastian knew I was coming to LA for the summer. If I'd know that he was going to school here…"

"What would you have done differently?" Jeff asked.

Blaine wasn't sure. It certainly would make it more difficult to leave LA if he and Sebastian were still together. Not that it mattered now. "Guess we'll never know."

"He's not coming," Nick said in exasperation. He couldn't stand Jeff's disappointed look as yet another customer that wasn't Sebastian walked into the coffee house.

"He's only five minutes late," Jeff said. "He'll be here."

"Want to bet on it?" Nick asked in an attempt to distract his boyfriend.

"What did you have in mind?" Jeff asked, slightly amused.

"When Smyth doesn't show, we go back to the apartment and you do whatever I want for the rest of the afternoon," Nick said suggestively.

"And when he does show?" Jeff asked.

"I'll do whatever you want," Nick said, waggling his eyebrows.

"We wait at least half an hour," Jeff said.

Nick sighed, confident that Sebastian wanted nothing to do with them. He glanced at his watch. "Fine, but we're out of here in 23 minutes."

"Maybe you could get us a refill while we wait," Jeff suggested. "And a brownie," he added as an afterthought.

Nick chuckled fondly at his boyfriend and his sweet-tooth, but did as he was asked. He was picking up their drinks when Sebastian finally decided to put in an appearance. "Took you long enough," Nick growled at his former classmate. He was only slightly disappointed about the bet; either way, he'd enjoy it.

"Traffic was a bitch," Sebastian replied, unconcerned. "Coffee any good here?"

"Palatable," Nick replied, not interested in encouraging Sebastian in any way. "Feel free to find someplace else to frequent."

Sebastian actually grinned at him, rather evilly though. "So glad to see some things never change, Duval."

"I'm not as nice as I used to be," Nick warned with a smile of his own.

"Nick, you promised to behave," Jeff said, joining them at the counter in time to hear Nick's comment.

"Did Sterling promise to give your balls back if you were a good boy?" Sebastian asked with a smirk.

Nick really didn't see what Blaine could possibly see in this guy, but he had promised Jeff. "Boyfriends do things for each other, something you wouldn't understand," Nick replied. "We'll be at the table if you want to join us." He pulled Jeff away before he said something he really would regret, if only because Jeff wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

"Maybe you should let me do the talking," Jeff suggested as they sat back down. He took a bite of his brownie and smiled at Nick in appreciation. "He says stuff like that just to yank your chain."

Nick knew that, but knowing he was being baited didn't stop him from fighting back. "Do I get a reward if I'm a good boy?" he asked with a suggestive grin.

"Of course," Jeff said. "We have plenty of time before we go out tonight. We could try out that new toy you got in the mail."

"If you asked me here to listen to you talk about your pathetic sex life, I have better things to do," Sebastian said as he joined them. "That new kid's movie my six-year-old niece wants to see is sounded better every minute."

"You're spending your summer hanging out with a six-year-old and you call us pathetic?" Nick commented and then cursed himself for slipping up so quickly.

"Hardly my fault that you're sexual exploits are less interesting than a preschooler," Sebastian replied with a shrug.

Jeff sighed heavily. "Can we just admit that you two don't like each other and move on?"

"No problem here," Nick replied.

Sebastian gave him a half-smile. "What's on your mind, Sterling? Finally ready to dump Duval for a real man?"

Unlike Nick, Jeff didn't rise to the bait which actually impressed his boyfriend.

"Blaine told us that he saw you at Disneyland," Jeff said. He stomped on Nick's foot when Nick opened his mouth to add his two cents. "He misses you and I know you miss him too."

"I'm sure Duval has already told you that I'm a heartless bastard who is incapable of having that depth of feeling about anyone," Sebastian replied.

Nick snorted, half in contempt, half in agreement. He had said something to that affect, though he like the way Sebastian phrased it better.

"You may want people to believe that, but I know better. I saw how the two of you were together, even before you admitted you were together," Jeff replied. "I just don't get why you don't call him. You're both here and you have to want to see him."

Nick admittedly wasn't the most observant person when it came to relationships. It had taken him years to realize how Jeff had felt about him and that had only been because Sebastian had pissed him off and he hadn't been exactly thinking straight. However, he saw something in Sebastian's face that he hadn't expected. It was only there for a second before it was replaced with Sebastian's usual indifference, but he was sure it was there. He'd seen it in the mirror for long enough before he and Jeff got together to recognize it; regret, pain, longing.

"Blaine's future is in New York," Sebastian said.

"I'm sure Hummel is anxiously waiting for him to get there," Nick said. "I'm surprised you'd concede the field so easily though." He was rewarded with a flash of anger in Sebastian's eyes. No matter what he said, Sebastian did care. That was a revelation to Nick.

"It's hardly any of my concern if Blaine chooses to return to the arms of his ex," Sebastian replied. His jaw tensed for a moment before he took a sip of his coffee.

"He doesn't really want to go to New York," Jeff said. He gave Nick a look that begged him to shut up. "He loves it here."

"Then he should stay," Sebastian replied with an indifferent shrug. He swallowed hard and glanced out the window for a moment before returning his gaze to Jeff. "It has nothing to do with me."

"He knows you're going to UCLA," Nick interjected. He almost smiled when he saw the flash of panic in Sebastian's eyes. "He was pissed that you never told him."

"Nick!" Jeff hissed. Now that it was out though, Jeff had to ask. "Why didn't you tell him you were accepted here? Things could have been so different."

"Different?" Sebastian scoffed. "You think he should have rearranged his life just because I happened to be moving to LA?"

"I think it should have been his decision," Jeff replied, getting just a little irritated. "That's what a relationship is all about. Sometimes you compromise, but it's all about doing what's best for you as a couple."

"Blaine has spent his whole life doing what is best for everyone else," Sebastian said. "He needs to do what is best for him for once."

The metaphoric light bulb went off in Nick's brain. Arrogant, self-centered Sebastian was trying to give Blaine the freedom to do what he wanted without tying him down. It was misguided, but still… it wasn't what he expected and almost admirable.

"Don't worry about it," Nick said. "He's figured out that you just agreed to 'date' him so you could get in his pants without looking like the bad guy. We're helping him move on."

"Nick?" Jeff queried, completely at a loss as to what his boyfriend was doing.

"In fact," Nick continued, ignoring Jeff's pleading look to shut-up, "we're taking him out to the Commercial tonight. I'm sure you've heard of it."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed just a touch. "Of course. It's a great place for a one-off."

"That's what I was thinking," Nick replied, while Jeff gaped at him. "It's not like he hasn't done it before. At least this time, he doesn't have any reason to feel guilty about it."

Sebastian methodically shredded his napkin into strips. "Good for him." He downed the last of his drink and set in down with a resounding thud. Amazing that he had managed that much noise with a Styrofoam cup. "If we're finished with this little reunion, I have a six-year-old to entertain."

Nick cheerfully waved as Sebastian stalked out.

"Why?" Jeff asked. He didn't need to elaborate for Nick to understand the question.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you were right. That arrogant asshole does have a heart," Nick replied.

Jeff's mouth dropped open. "So you decided to stomp all over it?"

Nick reached over and took Jeff's hand in his. "Sweetheart, do you remember what prompted me to finally admit how I felt about you?"

Jeff looked totally confused. "Sebastian said something that made you angry and you were determined to prove him wrong?"

"He challenged my manhood," Nick corrected. "I couldn't let that go."

"So… this was payback?" Jeff asked, still not getting it.

"Not the kind you're thinking of," Nick said with a grin. "I expect that Blaine won't be leaving the club tonight with some random."

Jeff frowned slightly. "No matter what you think, Blaine really isn't the type to sleep with someone he just met. That one time was enough."

"Sebastian doesn't know that," Nick said with a sly grin. "And it's going to eat him up all day."

"So this is revenge," Jeff said, disapprovingly.

"This is 'know thy opponent'," Nick replied. "I suspect that by tonight, Smyth is going to have a renewed interest in clubbing."

Comprehension finally dawned. "You think he'll come to the Commercial because he can't stand the thought of Blaine being with someone else."

"Am I a genius or what?" Nick replied triumphantly.

"You are amazing," Jeff said in awe.

Nick just hoped the results turned out as well as they had for him and Jeff. He hated to see his boyfriend disappointed and Blaine was a friend.

Blaine moaned slightly as his back hit the wall, whether from the pain of contract with a hard surface or from the pleasure of Sebastian's mouth on his neck wasn't clear.

"Close the door," Blaine managed to gasp. He really didn't want to give his neighbors a free show, although there were some that would probably have paid money to watch. He had no idea how Sebastian managed to get the door closed without stopping what he was doing, but he heard the slam so promptly put the matter from his mind.

"Bedroom?" Sebastian murmured against Blaine's ear as his hands did magical things against Blaine's skin.

They somehow managed to stumble the rest of the way to Blaine's room without actually disengaging from their frantic groping. It wasn't until much later that Blaine wondered whether Cooper was home or not. He hoped not. He had no allusions as to the thickness of the apartment walls. For that matter, the neighbors may have gotten an earful as well. Neither of them had made any effort to be quiet.

As they lay in the bed twine around each other, Blaine finally had the presence of mind to wonder how they had gotten here. One minute he had been dancing with some guy at the club and then Sebastian was there. He had no idea who had come-on to who, but… here they were. He had no idea what this meant, if anything. What did Sebastian want from him?

"Sebastian, what are we doing?" Blaine asked. He'd gone from being relaxed to the point of unconsciousness to so tense that he was sure Sebastian could feel it.

"It hasn't been that long, has it? I thought it was obvious what we were doing."

"We broke up," Blaine said, not in the mood for Sebastian's avoidance techniques. "Why are we in bed together?"

"You're over-thinking it," Sebastian said softly. "We both wanted the same thing. Can't you just leave it at that?"

"Is there where you slip out again before I wake up?" Blaine asked, getting irritated. Sebastian moved away and sat up.

"I thought you'd understand about that," Sebastian replied.

Blaine winced. He hadn't meant the way that had come out. "I did. I do. But this… I don't understand this. What does it mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Sebastian said flatly. He stood and began gathering his clothes. "We both wanted to get laid, so here we are."

Blaine sat up as well. "So this was just a one-off? Is that all I mean to you now?"

Sebastian pulled his pants on and the paused to run a hand through his hair in agitation. "You want a declaration of some sort? What would be the point? We both know where this ends."

"Yeah, with you disappearing without a word," Blaine replied, his hurt and anger getting the better of him. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to UCLA? Afraid that I might try to extend our 'arrangement' for a few more weeks? You couldn't wait to get on that plane to Parris and get away from me, could you?"

Sebastian had pulled on his shirt and started looking for his shoes. "Don't make this my fault.," Sebastian snapped. "Leaving you that morning was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"So difficult that a few more weeks of being together were too much for you," Blaine snapped back.

Sebastian found his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Blaine while he pulled them on. "By the time I knew I'd been accepted here you had already found out that you weren't. I wasn't going to confuse the issue at that point."

"What does that even mean?" Blaine asked.

Sebastian turned so that he and Blaine were facing each other across the width of the bed. "It means that you have a bad habit of rearranging your life to suit everyone else. I wasn't going to be the reason you decided to give up a scholarship to a great school in New York."

"I can make up my own mind about where I want to live," Blaine protested.

"Right, that's why everyone says you want to stay in LA, but you're moving to New York," Sebastian mocked. "Who are you trying to please this time? Your parents? Hummel? The acceptance board at NYADA?"

"How would you know what I want? We haven't talked in two months," Blaine said, just defensively. Sebastian had always called him out on his tendency to please others instead of himself.

"How do you think I knew where you'd be tonight?" Sebastian said. "Our friends and family can't seem to keep their collective noses out of our business."

Blaine didn't doubt that for a minute, but it was irrelevant. "So you decided to – what? – have one last fling before I left for New York?"

"You really want to have a one-off with a stranger?" Sebastian asked. He didn't wait for an answer. "Fine, be my guest. Kill everything that makes you so special while trying to find something that doesn't exist. At least wait until you're in New York where I won't have to watch it."

Blaine's mouth dropped open in shock as Sebastian stormed from the room. What had just happened?

The sun was just making its presence known when Sebastian finally slipped into the back door at his cousin's.

"I thought we were through with the all-nighters," Ana said as Sebastian walked into the kitchen. She motioned towards the coffee pot that was still half full.

"I told you not to wait up," Sebastian said. He poured himself a cup of coffee and then leaned back against the counter to drink it. He was sure that Ana wasn't finished with him yet.

Ana appeared to be debating what to say next. "I got an interesting email from Cooper Anderson this morning," she finally said.

"Conspiring with my ex's brother behind my back? That's pretty low," Sebastian said, though he didn't really have the energy to be angry about it. Maybe later.

Ana chose to ignore his comment. "He said that you spent the night with Blaine last night. He thought everything was going great and then, bam, the two of you are arguing – quite loudly, although he couldn't make out what it was about."

"That makes two of us," Sebastian admitted. "I was there and I'm not too sure either."

"It's over then?" Ana asked sympathetically, but sympathy was the last thing that Sebastian wanted.

"It's been over for months," Sebastian said. "One night of weakness isn't going to change that."

"You love him, don't you?" Ana asked sadly.

Sebastian downed the last of his coffee and set the cup in the sink. "I don't believe in love. You know that."

He didn't notice the tears that welled in Ana's eyes as he walked from the room.


	15. Chapter 15

"You okay, little brother?" Cooper asked cautiously when Blaine finally wondered into the kitchen.

Blaine knew Cooper was worried when he didn't call him 'squirt' to annoy him. "I guess you heard the argument," he said.

Cooper nodded. "Was that Sebastian that stormed out of here?"

"Yeah," Blaine admitted with a sigh. "How much did you hear?"

"Lots of loud voices, but couldn't make out what either of you were saying," Cooper said. "Sounded like you were getting along just fine before that though."

Blaine closed his eyes in embarrassment. He'd been afraid that Cooper would overhear that. "Yeah, well, sex doesn't solve everything."

"Way you two were going at it, you should have been too tired to start an argument," Cooper said with a hint of a teasing smile.

"You won't have to worry about that again," Blaine said. He opened the frig to find for something for breakfast, but then closed it again when nothing looked appealing.

"So what were you arguing about?" Cooper asked, leaning forward slightly.

Blaine shrugged. "Nothing that matters."

"Yeah, it sounded like two people discussing something that didn't matter," Cooper said.

"I'm going out for breakfast," Blaine announced. He just wanted to put last night's mistake behind him. "I'm working today, so I won't be back until this evening."

"We doing Karaoke tonight?" Cooper asked as Blaine slipped his shoes on.

"Yeah, sure," Blaine said before leaving.

Blaine managed to push the argument with Sebastian out of his mind while working, but as soon as he put aside his Aladdin persona, the argument began to nag at him again. He couldn't help but wonder if he was letting his father's influence override his own judgment. Even if he would rather stay here, could he afford to throw away a sure thing (the NYADA scholarship) in the hopes that something better might come along later?

His thoughts were still running in pointless circles when he stepped out of the shower and started to pull his street clothes back on. He briefly considered skipping Karaoke, but he had already told Cooper he'd be there. Besides, all he'd do if he went home was overthink things and make himself sick with worry. Damn Sebastian for getting under his skin this way.

Jeff watched Blaine toss back another shot of something that was far too strong a light-weight like Blaine to be drinking. Even Nick seemed to be getting a little concerned.

"At least his brother is here and can make sure he gets home okay," Nick said, leaning close so that only Jeff could hear him.

"I thought he'd be in a better mood after last night," Jeff said. Blaine hadn't said anything about what had happened after he left with Sebastian, but if the amount of alcohol Blaine was consuming was an indication, 'it hadn't gone well' would be an understatement.

"I'll see if Cooper knows what happened," Nick suggested. "You make sure our friend here doesn't end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning."

Nothing Jeff tried would distract Blaine from his apparent intention to get drunk as skunk. Even Blaine's friends from work were throwing worried looks his way.

"I hope you found something out," Jeff said to Nick when he returned. He was beginning to feel a bit desperate. At least it was getting busier, so Blaine wasn't able to get refills as quickly.

Nick relayed what little Cooper knew about the night before. "He doesn't have a clue what they were arguing about though. Sebastian stormed out this morning and Blaine wouldn't talk about it."

"We have to do something," Jeff said as the waitress arrived with another round.

"I think this is your department," Nick said with a wary look at Blaine who was ignoring the concerned glances of everyone around him.

"Since when are drunks my department?" Jeff protested.

"I'm no good with the relationship stuff," Nick said. "If I hadn't pushed Sebastian into going to the club last night, we wouldn't be watching Blaine drown his sorrows now."

"It's not your fault," Jeff said with a sigh. "I thought it was a good idea too, once you explained it too me."

Blaine slammed his glass down on the table and began looking for a way out of the semi-circular booth he was trapped in. He seemed to decide that Nick and Jeff's side was the least crowded. "I'm singing," he announced and made a shoeing motion to get them out his way.

Nick exchanged a panicked look with Jeff as they slid out of the way. "You need a couple of backup singers?" Jeff asked, hoping they could run interference in case Blaine was about to embarrass himself.

"Yeah, sure," Blaine replied offhandedly. He didn't wait for them before stumbling a few steps towards the stage. Nick started to reach out to steady him, but Blaine seemed to gather himself and walked forward a little more cautiously without any obvious listing.

"This is going to be a train wreck," Nick muttered to Jeff.

The DJ running Karaoke was familiar with Blaine and let him go next without regards for the list.

"Are we singing?" Cooper asked as he joined them. He sounded just a little concerned as he walked towards his brother. "This isn't going to be some 'my dog died, crying in my drink' song, is it?"

Blaine ignored Cooper as he made his selection with a triumphant grin. "Where are my backup singers?" Blaine asked. He looked around until he found Nick and Jeff standing nervously beside the stage. "You can't sing from there."

"Uh, Blaine, what are we singing?" Nick asked cautiously as they joined him on stage.

"This is the song Sebastian and I sang together at Prom," Blaine announced. "It was our song."

Jeff threw a panicked look at Nick, who just shrugged. "Don't look at me. I wasn't at their prom."

Jeff finally caught the name of the song on the Karaoke prompter. "That's not a love song."

"That's a 'screw all of you' song," Cooper said, almost in appreciation.

Jeff took a deep breath and hoped that this didn't go as badly as he feared. The first words of the song made it obvious what Blaine was feeling though.

*This ain't a song for the broken-hearted,* Blaine sang. He even managed the slightly gravely tone of Jon Bon Jovi. *No silent prayer for faith departed. And I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd, you're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud.*

Blaine always put on an excellent performances but he was putting everything he had into this song.

*It's my life, it's now or never. I ain't gonna live forever. I just want to live while I'm alive.*

*It's my life. My heart is like the open highway. Like Frankie said, I did it my way. I just wanna live while I'm alive.*

*It's my life.*

Jeff tried to keep up with the chorus, but was glad that Nick and Cooper were there to carry it. The song sounded like something Sebastian would sing, but how on earth did it become 'their song'? It sounded more like something you'd sing to someone when you were breaking up.

*This is for the ones who stood their ground. For Tommy and Gina who never backed down.*

*Tomorrow's getting harder, make no mistake. Luck, it ain't enough, you've got to make your own breaks.*

Blaine sounded defiant, almost angry.

*Better stand tall when they're calling you out. Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down.*

Blaine let his 'backup singers' take over the remaining chorus. He stood, hanging onto the mike like it was a lifeline. Jeff was afraid the alcohol had finally caught up to him and was wondering if they were going to have to help him off the stage.

The song finally came to an end and Blaine finally looked up as the patrons broke into a thunderous applause. It had probably been the best performance this place had seen all year.

Blaine gave a nod of appreciation for the audience and then walked out of the bar. It took a minute for Jeff and the others to catch up with him.

"Where are we heading, little brother?" Cooper asked, throwing an arm over Blaine's shoulder. Jeff trailed behind with Nick.

"I need you to help me make a video," Blaine replied. Jeff wasn't sure if Blaine was answering Cooper's question or not.

"Sure thing. You auditioning for something?" Cooper asked.

Blaine shook his head but didn't offer an explanation. He turned his head to look back at his friends. "I could use your help too."

"You're making a video tonight?" Jeff asked in surprise. Just how drunk was Blaine?

"I know what I want," Blaine said with determination. "I'm not backing down this time."

Sebastian hadn't received an email from Blaine all summer, but here one sat in his inbox, staring at him as if judging him for all his past sins. After the argument they'd had the other night, he fully expected recriminations if not outright denunciation. Staring at the title line wasn't giving any clues as to the contents. He might as well just get it over with.

# # #

To: Sebastian Smyth

From: Blaine Anderson

Subject: Lonely No More

Maybe I do tend to listen to others more than myself, but you have no right to try to keep information from me just because you're afraid it might influence me. You have all had your say, but I have made my decision. Regardless of what happens next, I'm not backing down. The link at the bottom tells you exactly where I stand.

Blaine

# # #

Sebastian hesitated with his cursor over the youtube link at the bottom of the email. Blaine's email was rather cryptic, but it wasn't the rejection he'd expected. It didn't tell him what Blaine's decision was concerning or what the answer was either. He couldn't not watch the video though.

It seemed to take forever for the video to load. Sebastian had to remind himself to breath while he waited. Finally, the video showed Blaine in the foreground with Niff standing behind him, fidgeting as if they were nervous. He didn't recognize the music at first. Even after the lyrics started he wasn't sure what the song was about but Blaine had an intensity about him that drew Sebastian in and held him.

*Now it seems to me that you know just what to say, but words are only words. Can you show me something else?*

*Can you swear to me that you'll always be this way? Show me how you feel, more than ever baby.*

Sebastian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Blaine was magnificent.

*I don't wanna be lonely no more. I don't wanna have to pay for this. I don't want to know the lover at my door is just another heartache on my list.*

*I don't wanna be angry no more. You know I could never stand for this, so when you tell me that you love me know for sure. I don't want to be lonely anymore.*

If Blaine were there in person, Sebastian wouldn't have been able to deny him anything at that point and the song was only half through.

*Now it's hard for me with my heart still on the mend. Open up to me, like you do your girlfriends. And you sing to me and it's harmony. Boy, what you do to me is everything. Make me say anything; just to get you back again. Why can we just try?*

Sebastian had no idea that Blaine could move like that. 'Sex on a stick' didn't half cover it.

*What if I was good to you? What if you were good to me? What if I could hold you till I feel you move inside of me? What if it was paradise? What if we were symphonies? What if I gave all my life to find some way to stand beside you?*

"Who is that?" Ana asked from over Sebastian's shoulder. "He's good."

"Blaine," Sebastian whispered, almost reverently. It didn't really register with him that someone had spoken to him; he answered out of reflex.

"Wow, he's hot," Ana said.

Sebastian finally realized that he wasn't alone and closed the laptop. "Is there something you want?" he asked archly.

"Just heard the music, but it didn't sound like Rob Thomas singing so I got curious," Ana said. She motioned towards the laptop. "What was that all about? I thought you two were finished?"

"Apparently, I've being given another chance," Sebastian said.

"He's staying in LA?" Ana asked in surprise.

"He didn't say," Sebastian admitted.

Ana gave him a long, searching look that made him a little uncomfortable. "Maybe it doesn't matter," she finally said. "You're miserable without him and for some strange reason, he seems to want you too."

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair as he frowned.

"You're overthinking it," Ana said. "Let yourself just feel for once."

"I make a lousy boyfriend," Sebastian said in exasperation. "I don't know why he doesn't just give up on me as a lost cause."

"Neither do I, but neither of us is Blaine Anderson," Ana replied with a fond smile. "Apparently, he sees something he likes and he's not afraid to go after it. I wouldn't throw that away without giving it my best effort."

Sebastian stared at her for a long moment while his brain and his heart battled it out. "What do I do?"

Ana tapped the laptop. "I expect he'll be waiting for an answer."

Sebastian shook his head. "I wish I knew what to tell him."

"You know what to tell him," Ana replied with a smile. "You just have to bite the bullet and do it."

"Come on, Blaine. Just a little longer?" Jeff begged. "One of the guys you work with said he'd be by in a bit and we could do a group number."

Blaine sighed dispiritedly, but nodded. It had been three days since he'd sent his email to Sebastian and it was obvious that silence was the only answer he was going to get. He really didn't feel like Karaoke tonight, but Jeff and Cooper had ganged up on him, so here he was. He'd vowed that he wasn't going to drink more than a couple of beers tonight though. Hangovers were a bitch.

"I'm going to the restroom," Blaine said and stood without waiting for a response. He was surprised when Jeff let him go by himself. He and Nick both seemed to be afraid that he was going to try to slip off, even though they were his ride home.

The guy that was singing wasn't bad, but his choice of song was romantic and sappy and was grating on Blaine's nerves. Maybe he should have tried something like that on Sebastian instead of a song that was basically a challenge. Blaine shook his head at his reflection in the restroom mirror as he washed his hands. Sappy and romantic was his style, not Sebastian's. Maybe Sebastian just wasn't interested.

The sappy singer was just finishing when Blaine walked back into the bar area. He took an empty seat at the end of the bar and order another beer. He could use a few minutes away from his well-meaning, if overbearing, friends.

The DJ announced the next singer, "We have a new face tonight, though he prefers not to incriminate himself before learning your reaction to his song."

There were a few laughs from the regulars. Blaine didn't bother to see if he knew who the new singer was. All his friends had been up there at one time or another already.

"I was supposed to sing this song at my boyfriend's prom," a familiar voice said into the mike. "We, uh, kind of got side-tracked and left a little early though."

There were more laughs as Blaine turned towards the stage in surprise. He had never seen Sebastian look nervous before, but he kept sifting his weight from foot to foot as he waited for the song to queue up. Their gazes met briefly just before the music started.

*When I was younger, I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind. He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it.*

*And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget. And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.*

*But darling, you are the only exception. You are the only exception. You are the only exception. You are the only exception*

Tears welled in Blaine's eyes as he realized that his was the answer he'd been waiting for.

*Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts. And we've got to find other ways to make it alone or keep a straight face.*

*And I've always lived like this; keeping a comfortable distance.*

*And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness because none of it was ever worth the risk.*

*But you are the only exception. You are the only exception.*

Blaine had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. He'd been so sure that Sebastian was going to walk away. He'd never expected anything like this. It was beautiful.

*I've got a tight grip on reality but I can't let go of what's in front of me here. I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up.*

*Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream.*

As the song began repeating the chorus, Blaine walked towards the stage as if in a dream. Sebastian hopped down and grabbed the hand Blaine offered as he finished the last line.

* You are the only exception and I'm on my way to believing.*


End file.
